Hasankeyf: 10,000 Years of History soon-to-be-lost

Although I already read about the controversial Ilisu Dam irrigation project before I actually visited Hasankeyf, once I had seen this place with my own eyes, however, it made quite an impact on me that I felt compelled to write something about this place, whose very existence has come under threat due to the construction of the dam project.

Hasankeyf, a Kurdish village in the predominantly Kurdish province of Batman in Southeastern Turkey, is a unique place, even for a country like Turkey, where ancient sites and towns with centuries of history are commonplace all over the country. One of the oldest continuously inhabited settlements in the world, this small village, situated above the limestone cliffs overlooking the canyon of the River Tigris, is like a living open-air museum, with a history dating back almost 10,000 years, spanning some 20 different cultures. Relics of several major ancient and medieval civilizations can be found in and around Hasakeyf - Romans, Byzantines, Artukids (Artuklu in Turkish), Ayyubids, Ottomans -  all left their marks on this medieval village.

One of the earliest written record of Hasankeyf, which dates back to 1800 B.C., appeared in the Mari Tablets, unearthed in the 1930s by French archaeologists in the ancient Sumerian city of Mari in modern Syria. It is believed that the earliest inhabitants of Hasakeyf dwelled in caves carved into the soft limestone rock cliffs along the steep canyon of the River Tigris. In the ensuing milleniums, each culture and civilisation that ruled from this place (or ruled this place) contributed something to the present townscape of Hasankeyf. The Romans first built a fortess here in ca. 300 AD to monitor the border of the Roman Empire with Persia. Some of the most impressive ruins still present today in the vicinity of Hasankeyf are built by the Artukid kings, the most famous of which is the Old Tigris Bridge built in AD 1116, considered the biggest bridge in the Medieval Ages. Only two stone piles and some rock foundations remain today, but the sight of the ruins against the picturesque backdrop of the rising cliffs, the Old Citadel that perched high above the river, and the sandstone-coloured minarets of the medieval mosques, is as ageless as the village itself.

 Once an important trading post on the Silk Road and a key administrative centre in Mesopotamia throughout the Middle Ages thanks to its strategic position on the River Tigris, the population of Hasankeyf has steadily declined in recent decades, as a result of poverty, economic under-development and uncertainty over the town's future. Upon the completion of the Ilisu Dam project, most of Hasankeyf' - including its priceless medieval centre with layers upon layers of continuous human history - would be submerged under water. The soft limestone rocks which form the canyons of the Tigris would gradually dissolve under the waters, destroying thousands of years of evidence of human civilisations. No sensible businessman would want to invest in the local economy given such uncertainty. In addition, years of armed conflicts between the Turkish Armed Forces and the PKK further escalated the outflow of younger population to seek a living in big cities on the western coast of Turkey. During the winter months, except for the weekends, when day-trippers from nearby towns such as Mardin, Midyat or Batman would fill the narrow winding paths leading up to Hasankeyf's hilltop Citadel, the centre of the village is left with only the old, the young and the weak; most of the able-bodied males choose to leave and work in the bars and hotels of big coastal resort towns like Marmaris or Antalya, returning only in winter to Hasankeyf. More often than not, the money they sent home from their summer stint on the coast are the only income for their family due to the lack of other viable employment opportunities apart from subsistence farming.  

Given the historical, archaeological and cultural significance of Hasankeyf, many human rights organizations and international bodies have attempted to petition the Turkish government to review the necessity of the Ilisu Dam project. Some human rights groups have started a campaign to boycott the various European companies participating in the consortium (hence indirectly financing the project using funds obtained from European banks and investors). Many locals consider the construction of the Ilisu Dam part of a series of deliberate moves by the Turkish government to destroy the cultural symbols of Kurdish identity, as the entire population in Hasankeyf would be forcibly uprooted and relocated to nearby new settlements, much like the fate of the town of Halfeti in Sanliurfa Province, which was partially submerged under the waters when the Birecik Dam on the Euphrates was completed in the 1990s.

It is not difficult to visit Hasakeyf. Located half-way between Midyat and the town of Batman, hourly mini-bus from Midyat stops right at the centre of Hasankeyf, near the modern steel bridge across the River Tigris. Most of the archaeological sights and attractions are located on top of the cliffs overlooking the Tigris, as well as scattered all over the higher parts of the town.

Some of the human-made rock caves  - dating back to the start of humanity in this part of the wolrd - carved onto the surface of the cliffs are still being inhabited by the locals. All these priceless are under threat from the upcoming dam construction project.

The narrow road leading up from the dolmus stop to the rock caves and the ruins of the Citadel, the Great Palace, Ulu Mosque, and the Small Palace.

As the security situation in the Southeast somewhat eased following the 'ceasefire' between the two conflicting parties, Hasankeyf became a popular outdoor set location among Turkish TV drama producers and film makers. The scenic view of the ruins of the Old Tigris Bridge and the beautiful river canyon from the modern steel bridge has been featured in several TV series depicting agonising love triangles and daily struggle in the rural Southeast.

Although anyone could see the massive tourism potential of this little village on the Tigris, future is bleak. The proposed dam project is scheduled to be completed in 2013; better hurry up and see this unique place before it is too late.

Copyrights 2010. All text and photos by YC Cheng. All Rights Reserved.