LIFE
Date published: 16 December 2019 13:12
Modified On: 16 December 2019 13:17

Last Historical Building in Hasankeyf to be Moved

The historical buildings in Hasankeyf are being moved into a new place before the ancient city sinks under dam waters.

İstanbul
Last Historical Building in Hasankeyf to be Moved

Photo: AA

Click to read the article in Turkish

The last historical building that was left in Hasankeyf is being transferred before the 12-thousand-year-old ancient district submerges in the water because of a nearby dam.

The transfer of Er-Rızk Mosque began yesterday (December 15), the state-run AA reported. The building weighing 1,700 tons was loaded into a 256-wheel self-propelled modular transporter to be moved to the "New Hasankeyf Cultural Park Area," the agency said.

Six other historical buildings were previously moved to the new area: Zeynelbey Tomb, Artuklu Bath, Imam Abdullah Zawiya, Orta Kapı, Kızlar (Eyyubi) Mosque, Suleyman Khan Mosque Complex

Hasankeyf district in the southeastern province of Batman will be submerged in the water after the Ilısu Dam, which began to hold water in July, becomes fully operational.

About the Hasankeyf dam project

The Ilısu Dam (Photo: AA)

The construction of the Ilısu Dam was included in the Southeastern Anatolia Project (GAP), a state-sponsored regional development project that has been continuing for decades, in 1982.
After the project was included in the government's investment program in 1997, protests were staged both in Turkey and in European countries where the companies who financially support the project based in. as a result, the project was stopped in 2002.

When the Ilısu project came to the fore in 2005, the construction of the dam was tried to be prevented with a stronger campaign. As a result of this, the Initiative to Keep Hasankeyf Alive emerged.

Hasankeyf and the Tigris Valley are still there as a result of the struggle of tens of civil society organizations who oppose the construction of the dam. But the process has become more difficult lately.

In 2017, seven monuments were moved from Hasankeyf. Two monuments, one of them is the famous Tigris Bridge, were covered with rocks under the guise of 'restoration'.

More than 200 caves that were dug in Neolithic Era pioneers and large parts of the valley next to the castle were filled with excavation waste.

According to statements by authorities, dam gates will be closed and the dam will begin to fill with water. If the gates are closed, Hasankeyf will be totally submerged into water within four to eight months.

Source: Hasankeyf Initiative

(RT/VK)

Hasankeyf ılısu dam
https://bianet.org/haber/last-historical-building-in-hasankeyf-to-be-moved-217182
2024-07-23 10:16:02