TURKEY: Dam threatens to inundate heritage, livelihood of Kurdish town

The historic town of Hasankeyf on the banks of the Tigris River in southeastern Turkey was once an important stop on the Silk Road connecting Asia to Europe, part of a rich history that sustains some 3,000 residents who depend on tourism to make a living.

But Hasankeyf will soon be completely submerged, along with its many archeological treasures, as the government hastens to complete a huge hydroelectric dam just 45 miles downstream.

On the foothills of a nearby hill, heavy machinery is busy constructing the foundations for a new town where the government plans to resettle the mostly Kurdish residents of Hasankeyf once the Ilisu Dam is completed, but support for the resettlement plan among locals is low.

“The authorities will pay us 30,000 lira ($20,000) for our homes but they want to charge us 70,000 lira ($46,850) to move into the houses up there,” said local retailer Muhyettin Talayhan, pointing to the machinery in the distance.

The massive 1,200-megawatt hydroelectric dam is part of a wider development called the South-East Anatolia Project (GAP), which, when completed, will be one of the largest regional projects in the world. The $32-billion project will provide much needed electricity, and, the government hopes, undermine Kurdish opposition groups galvanized by popular resentment over poverty and poor infrastructure.

But local residents and archeologists claim the government is ignoring the human cost, as well as the damage to historical sites.

“It will directly devastate up to 78,000 people and many more indirectly, cause environmental problems, cut off water supply downstream to communities in Iraq and Syria and cause great destruction of cultural heritage,” Maggie Ronayne, the acting head of archaeology at the National University of Ireland in Galway, told Babylon & Beyond.

“This is all in a war zone where the mostly Kurdish population has faced and continues to face serious repression from the Turkish military.”

Once the dam is finished, water will cover the Hasankeyf castle, other local ruins and several ancient caves that attract some 2 million tourists a year, the town's economic lifeline. Already, poor maintenance and heavy traffic have led to the death of a worker inside the castle in July, forcing authorities to shut it down just as the tourism season was peaking.

Now, the normally bustling road leading to the castle is empty as vendors stand around waiting for busloads of tourists that do not appear to be coming. Several shop owners have closed their stalls completely.

“They say, ‘You are leaving anyway so you don’t need anything here,’” said Talayhan, the vendor, frustrated by the attitude of local authorities.

Reputedly a settlement of between 10,000 and 15,000 years old, preservationists say Hasankeyf is one of the region’s most important archeological and cultural sites. In the 12th century, the city was successively captured by the Artuqids, ushering in a golden period of prosperity that saw the building of the castle and the Old Tigris Bridge, the remains of which are still visible today.

“Hasankeyf is protected by Turkish national heritage law and by extension by European law and directives. So the state as the developer for this project is breaking its own law as well as European law and other regulations,” said Ronayne.

-- Stephen Starr in Hasankeyf, Turkey

Photos, from top: The main tourist thoroughfare has been empty since Hasankeyf Castle closed following a deadly accident; locals complain the government is doing nothing to reopen the castle because the area will be flooded once the Ilisu Dam is completed. Credit: Stephen Starr

Comments

[Roni]

I do not think that Turkey is looking for the welfare of this region, may be the main issue is to cancel this Kurdish historical city from the map and to prevent Kurdish rebels to pass to this region. They can change the place of dam easily but they will not.
Kurdish rebels asked more than ten times during one year for negotiation but the Turkish government does not even try. What they will do is to cancel Kurdish identity as they did with Armenian people

[Dilek Ozkan]

Building of the dam and the demographical specifications of the area are totally irrevelant. There are several other archeological areas in subject of being destroyed by construction works in other parts of Turkey. Among them are the famous spa city of Allianoi. Turkish / Kurdish people unfortunately live under the same and poor conditions in all over Southeastern areas of Turkey.

[MissMarple]

I'm sure Demir Tekin, when you think of a terrorist, you think of a Kurd. This is a tourist gem and a historical and archeological prize. This is like when the Aswan High Dam was built.

Turkey is quick to point at others when they feel offended, but when they offend others, they think it is nothing, or they were only terrorists.

[Efsane]

The writer's point of view is really weird for Hasankeyf issue has nothing to do with our Kurdish people!! It is true that the region is where mostly kurdish people live but this is definitely not related with Hasankeyf and the dam..That's bad and also sad to see here Turkish/ Kurdish seperateness! Here one should consider only one thing: protecting culture and the historical places!

[Canan KAndemir]

I personally have been in Hasankeyf for archelogical digging. Since 2006 so many research and excavations had been done and saved so many ancient pieces, they are all in several museums in the region.
Since the dam projection starts, suddenly hasankeyf has become one of the important issue by FOREIGN MEDIA. It has been discessed so many times to cancel the project who can create jobs for poor but strategic region...Even germans cancel the loan agreement. As the news say goverment not ignoring the human cost, actually project brings more job to region but FOREIGN MEDIA ignores them. I guess this article does not reflect the reaility at all....

[Demir Tekin]

This article was written with a perspective against Turkey government. I have just been there. It is said the stores are closed because of instruction but it is not. Just check the news of hasankeyf it is closed since there was an accident there.
By the Ilisu dam at least 400 people will have job who have been jobless.
They are talking about history. Until government decided to built a dam there no one was visiting this area and it wan't important to them.
Let me tell you what happened. Since this dam is a very strategical for the distinct, in terms of terrorist activity, mostly the people who has some relation with terrorists argue and try to get people attention on the issue.
Please be careful. When you are writing an article you should be objective.