Hasankeyf Protest in Front of UNESCO

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Artists from "Compagnie bien à vous Armanç Kerboranî" (Armanç Kerboranî Good Wishes Group) have given an art performance in front of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in Paris, raising concerns over the ancient city of Hasankeyf and Tigris Valley, which are soon to be engulfed by the Ilısu Dam.

One of the artists chained himself to the gate of UNESCO. The statement of the Compagnie bien à vous Armanç Kerboranî about their art performance and demands for Hasankeyf are briefly as follows:

'Dire threats facing the ancient city of Hasankeyf'

"Following performances at the Louvre in Paris, the Pergamon Museum in Berlin and the Vatican, the Compagnie Bien à vous – Armanç Kerboranî is performing once again in Paris this Wednesday, 2 October 2019.

"Their performance is a challenge to the UNESCO and aims to draw media and popular attention to the dire threats facing the ancient city of Hasankeyf located in Turkish Kurdistan.

"Hasankeyf is a twelve-thousand-year-old city, which has been the home of dozens of civilizations. Situated in the Tigris Valley stretching from Batman to Cizre [in Şırnak], it was one of the first cities of the Fertile Crescent in northern Mesopotamia.

'Several villages already engulfed'

"The more than six thousand caves carved into the rocky cliffs around the city are testaments to the people who have lived here for millennia.

"The ancient fortified town, its valley, its fertile lands, especially its people are in danger because the Ilısu Dam in Kerboran (Dargeçit) is causing the water of the Tigris River to rise with unimaginable speed.

"Several villages of Kerboran (Dargeçit) have already been engulfed, including Ilısu (Germav), Çelik and Tilo.

'UNESCO must step in and stop this destruction'

"Hasankeyf and the Tigris Valley meet nine of the selection criteria used by UNESCO to select sites included on the World Heritage List. 

"Because the Turkish government refuses to apply for recognition, UNESCO must step in and stop this destruction of this site, important not only to the history and culture of Turkish Kurdistan, but to the heritage of peoples around the world.

"We call on UNESCO to save Hasankeyf by adding it to the list of World Heritage sites! Protect Hasankeyf and protect the heritage of humanity!". (PT/SD)