Vespasian - Titus Tunnel
A port city known as Seleuceia Pieria (Samandağ) was established in 300 BC by Seleukos Nikator, one of the generals of Alexander the Great, within the borders of Kapısuyu and Cavecık Villages of the Samandağ district of Hatay province. When the danger of flooding in the port of Seleuceia Pieria, an important trade city, emerged, it was decided to open a tunnel by drilling the mountain. The construction of the tunnel was started during the Vespasianus Period (69-79) and was completed during the Titus Period (79-81). The tunnel system consists of a channel with a total length of 120 m, a width of 6 m, a height of 6-7 m, including two tunnel sections with a capacity of 150 m3/s, a removal channel with a capacity of 70 m3/s and a total length of 875 m. In ancient times, the largest tunnel through which almost the entire flow of a river was passed was the Vespasianus-Titus tunnel.
