page_title: Atatürk Dam
section_title: Reservoir lake
hierarchical_section_title: Atatürk Dam / Reservoir lake
caption_attribution_description: English: 1 Million TL
context_page_description: The Atatürk Dam, originally the Karababa Dam, is a zoned rock-fill dam with a central core on the Euphrates River on the border of Adıyaman Province and Şanlıurfa Province in the Southeastern Anatolia Region of Turkey. Built both to generate electricity and to irrigate the plains in the region, it was renamed in honour of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of the Turkish Republic. The construction began in 1983 and was completed in 1990. The dam and the hydroelectric power plant, which went into service after the upfilling of the reservoir was completed in 1992, are operated by the State Hydraulic Works. The reservoir created behind the dam, called Lake Atatürk Dam, is the third largest in Turkey.
  The dam is situated 23 km northwest of Bozova, Şanlıurfa Province, on state road D-875 from Bozova to Adıyaman. Centerpiece of the 22 dams on the Euphrates and the Tigris, which comprise the integrated, multi-sector, Southeastern Anatolia Project, it is one of the world's largest dams. The Atatürk Dam, one of the five operational dams on the Euphrates as of 2008, was preceded by Keban and Karakaya dams upstream and followed by Birecik and the Karkamış dams downstream.
context_section_description: The reservoir Lake Atatürk Dam, extending over an area of 817 km² (315 sq mi) with a water volume of 48.7 km³ (63,400 million cu yd), ranks third in size in Turkey after Lake Van and Lake Tuz. The reservoir water level touched 535 m (1,755 ft) amsl in 1994. Since then, it varies between 526 and 537 m amsl. The full reservoir level is 542 m (1,778 ft), and the minimum operation level is 526 m (1,726 ft) amsl.
  Some 10 towns and 156 villages of three provinces are located around the Lake Atatürk Dam. The lake provides a fisheries and recreation site. For transportation purposes, several ferries have been operated in the reservoir. The reservoir lake is called "sea" by local people.
caption: Reverse of the 1 million Turkish lira banknote, depicting the Atatürk Dam (1995–2005).
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