Berdan River

The Berdan, the ancient Cydnus, is a river in Mersin Province, south Turkey. The historical city of Tarsus is on the river and it is therefore sometimes called the Tarsus River. Originally the watercourse passed directly through the city, but the section in Tarsus was changed to its present course in the 6th century. The river is also the location of Tarsus Waterfall.

Geography

The main headwaters are in the Toros Mountains. There are two main tributaries: Kadıncık and Pamukluk. Total length of the river is . Although the river is quite short, the average discharge is, which is higher than most short rivers in the vicinity. The drainage basin covers. The river flows to the Mediterranean Sea at. Just north of Tarsus there is a waterfall on the river, which is a popular picnic area for Tarsus residents.

Dams

There are four dams on Berdan. These are used both for controlling floods and for producing electricity. But the lower reaches of the river flow in an agricultural area, and because of the pollution caused by fertilisers the dams in the lower reaches are not used for drinking water.

Name of the dam	Construction date	Installed power, MW
Kadıncık I	1971	70
Kadıncık II	1974	56
Berdan	1996	10
Pamukluk	2003	23.9

History and mythology

The Berdan River flows in one of the warmest regions of Turkey, but its upper reaches in the Toros Mountains make the water much cooler than the surrounding streams. Two prominent historical figures suffered severe health problems – possibly hypothermia and/or pneumonia – as a result of swimming in the river: Alexander the Great and Caliph Al-Ma'mun both fell ill as a result and Al Mamun died,
In Greek mythology, the young Comaetho fell in love with the river-god Cydnus, and after the goddess Aphrodite transformed her into a spring, the two mixed waters forever.
Cleopatra sailed up the river and first met Mark Antony aboard her boat.