Center for Water

The space’s first major utility purpose came in the form of being a central point for the water and canal systems of Istanbul to meet. The 18^th century sultan, Mahmud I arranged Taksim Square as a meeting location where the main water lines from north of the northern part of the city were collected and branched off to other parts of the city. The focus on the usage of the space as a meeting point of different parts of the city was a crucial step in Istanbul’s technical development to support th growing populace for centuries to come. Between the 17^th and 19^th centuries, several dams were built around city of Istanbul in order to provide a sufficient supply of water to the city. The connection of Taksim to the rest of Istanbul served as a successful engineering project that would drive the city’s growth in urban development.