The Sakarya (Sakara River, tr, Sakarya Irmağı; gr, Σαγγάριος, translit=Sangarios; Latin: ''Sangarius'') is the third longest river in Turkey. It runs through the region known in ancient times as

Phrygia In classical antiquity, Phrygia ( ; grc, Φρυγία, ''Phrygía'' ) was a kingdom in the west central part of Anatolia, in what is now Asian Turkey, centered on the Sangarios River. After its conquest, it became a region of the great empires ...

. It was considered one of the principal rivers of Asia Minor ( Anatolia) in classical antiquity, and is mentioned in the '' Iliad'' and in '' Theogony''. Its name appears in different forms as Sagraphos, Sangaris, or Sagaris. Sakaryarivermapfinal

In ''

Geographica The ''Geographica'' (Ancient Greek: Γεωγραφικά ''Geōgraphiká''), or ''Geography'', is an encyclopedia of geographical knowledge, consisting of 17 'books', written in Ancient Greek, Greek and attributed to Strabo, an educated citizen ...

'',

Strabo Strabo''Strabo'' (meaning "squinty", as in strabismus) was a term employed by the Romans for anyone whose eyes were distorted or deformed. The father of Pompey was called "Pompeius Strabo". A native of Sicily so clear-sighted that he could see ...

wrote during classical antiquity that the river had its sources on Mount Adoreus, near the town of Sangia in

, not far from the border with

Galatia Galatia (; grc, Γαλατία, ''Galatía'', "Gaul") was an ancient area in the highlands of central Anatolia, roughly corresponding to the provinces of Ankara and Eskişehir, in modern Turkey. Galatia was named after the Gauls from Thrace (c ...

, and flowed in a very tortuous course: first in an eastern, then toward the north, next the north-west and finally the north through

Bithynia Bithynia (; Koine Greek: , ''Bithynía'') was an ancient region, kingdom and Roman province in the northwest of Asia Minor (present-day Turkey), adjoining the Sea of Marmara, the Bosporus, and the Black Sea. It bordered Mysia to the southwest, Pa ...

into the

Euxine The Black Sea is a marginal mediterranean sea of the Atlantic Ocean lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bounded by Bulgaria, Georgia, Roma ...

( Black Sea). Part of its course formed the boundary between Phrygia and Bithynia, which in early times was bounded on the east by the river. The Bithynian part of the river was navigable and was celebrated for the abundance of fish found in it. Its principal tributaries were the Alander, the Bathys, the Thymbres and the Gallus. The source of the river is the ''Bayat Yaylası'' (Bayat Plateau), which northeast of Afyon. Joined by the '' Porsuk Çayı'' (Porsuk Creek), close to the town of Polatlı, the river runs through the '' Adapazarı Ovası'' (Adapazarı Plains) before it reaches the Black Sea. The Sakarya was once crossed by the

Sangarius Bridge The Sangarius Bridge or Bridge of Justinian (Turkish language, Turkish: ''Justinianos Köprüsü'' or ''Beşköprü'') is a late Roman bridge over the river Sakarya River, Sakarya ( la, Sangarius, Greek language, Greek Σαγγάριος) in Anat ...

, constructed by Eastern Roman Emperor Justinian I (r. 527–565). Sangarius Bridge, Justinyen Köprüsü-2

In the 13th century, the valley of the Sakarya was part of the border between the Eastern Roman Empire and the home of the Söğüt tribe. By 1280, Emperor Michael VIII Palaiologos had constructed a series of fortifications along the river to control the area, but a flood in 1302 changed the course of the river and made the fortifications useless. The Söğüt tribe migrated across the river and later established the Ottoman Empire. From downstream to upstream, the Sakarya has four dams: Akçay, Yenice, Gökçekaya and

Sarıyar Sarıyar is a small town in Nallıhan district of Ankara Province, Turkey. It is situated to the west of Sarıyar Dam reservoir and along with Sakarya River at . The distance to Nallıhan is and to Ankara is . The population of Sarıyar was 876 ...

References

See also