Keban Dam is a hydroelectric dam on the Euphrates, in the Eastern Turkey. Construction started in 1966 and ended in 1974. The construction of the dam brought hope to the arid region. The dwellers had attended the groundbreaking ceremony. On the one hand, this was interesting to see the groundbreaking ceremony of this kind of a huge infrastructure project. On the other hand, this was a symbolic move, a passage from an "underdeveloped" present towards a "developed" future.
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| Groundbreaking ceremony, 1966 |
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| Tunnels T1 and T2, 1967 |
The President of the Republic Cevdet Sunay and the Prime Minister Suleyman Demirel were present at the groundbreaking ceremony. This was a unique opportunity for them to repeat the goal of the state and the government. Both of them put the emphasis on the development of the region. For both, the Keban Dam was not just a regular dam project, it was a development project for the region and a project of integration for the whole country.
"Bu nehrin ehlilestirilmesi, bir nehrin medeni hizmetlerinin, medeniyetciligin, icine sokulmasi kolay bir is degildir." Suleyman Demirel, 1966, Groundbreaking Ceremony Speech
[Taming this river, putting this river into the service of the civil services, "civilization-er-ness" (the task of civilizing) is not an easy task to accomplish.]
Keban is the first one of the several large-scale dams to be built in the region. The Southeast Anatolia Project (GAP) as it is structured today, has been planned in 1970s, after the construction of the Keban Dam. Keban Municipality lists four direct benefits of the dam:
1) Social and economic development of the Southeast and Eastern Turkey.
2) Electrification of industrial various centers and villages.
3) Reduce the need for thermal power plants, and due to this, saving of foreign currency
4) Provide a huge amount of energy for the whole country.
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| Construction overview |
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| Tunnels' entrances |
Picture source: http://www.keban.bel.tr/keban-foto/nos/nos.html
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