Hasankeyf

All historic artifacts in the ancient town of Hasankeyf, which will be submerged by the floodwaters of Turkey's fourth biggest dam, Ilısu, in the southeastern province of Batman, will be moved this year. 

The 12,000-year-old Hasankeyf settlement in Turkey’s southeast is on the verge of complete destruction, after a Constitutional Court ruling gave the final go-ahead for a controversial dam project that is set to leave the ancient town under water.

A settlement from 11,500 years ago has been unearthed in the Hasankeyf Mound on the Tigris River's coastline in the fifth stage of archaeology works at the ancient town of Hasankeyf in the southeastern province of Batman, which has been initiated with the Ilısu Dam HES project protection and rescue works of the cultural heritage. 

A French photojournalist who has been held in Turkey for a month saw his mother on June 8 for the first time since being detained in an "emotional" meeting near the Syrian border.

A Frenchjournalist held in Turkey for over two weeks has begun a hunger strike to protest his detention, press freedom group Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said on May 23.

A 550-year-old historic shrine in Hasankeyf has been moved before the area is flooded by the Ilısu Dam in the southeastern province of Batman, Doğan News Agency has reported.

The Zeynel Bey Shrine was moved from its original location to the Hasankeyf New Cultural Park Area. 

The Hasankeyf Culture and Arts Festival was scheduled to be held next month in the southeastern city of Batman, where a trustee has been appointed to replace the mayor. The four-to-five-day festival has been organized for almost 10 years. Its aim was to draw attention to the ancient town of Hasankeyf, which will soon be under the waters collected by the Ilısu Dam. 

With its natural, historical and architectural features, Hasankeyf is very different from many ruins in Anatolia, for example, the Eastern Roman ruins. As Archaeological News said, it is a unique settlement. However, the structures in Hasankeyf are not durable enough to overcome flooding. Hasankeyf, which hosted many ancient civilizations, is anxiously waiting for a flood…

Eighty percent of the new settlement of Hasankeyf, replacing the historical part of the town that is set to be submerged under the water of the controversial Il?su Dam, has been completed. 

Mechtild Rössler, the director of both UNESCO's Division for Heritage and World Heritage Center, has declared Turkey did not apply for the inclusion of the ancient city of Hasankeyf on the UNESCO World Heritage List.