The town of Hasankeyf, which sits on the banks of the Tigris River, dates back to 9500 BC. Photo: Alamy
A 12,000-year-old town in the Anatolia region of south-east Turkey, home to a rich archaeological heritage spanning nine civilisations, including Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman, could vanish forever under plans to build a controversial dam.
Sitting on the banks of the Tigris River, Hasankeyf was declared a natural conservation area in 1981, and excavations in the area have uncovered a settlement dating back to 9500 BC.
But soon - potentially as early as next year - it faces obliteration, consumed by the waters of the Ilisu Reservoir, which Turkish officials say will provide electricity and irrigation to underdeveloped parts in the Kurdish region.
The construction of the dam would see the displacement of around 78,000 residents and 3000 nomadic people in and around Hasankeyf, and the flooding of nearly 200 villages in the surrounding area, along with some 400 archaeological sites, as well as religious monuments, from mosques and cave churches to ancient cemeteries and tombs. That's according to the latest report from Hasankeyf'i Yaşatma Girişimi (the Initiative to Keep Hasankeyf Alive), a movement founded in 2006 to campaign against the Ilisu dam project.
Among the most notable archaeological sites in the area is the remains of the Old Tigris Bridge, a ruined four-arch structure whose central arch was once the largest in the world, while there is concern for several endangered marine species, such as the Euphrates soft-shelled turtle.
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Authorities have also promised that a "cultural park" will be built next to the ancient town in a bid to relocate several of Hasankeyf's monuments - a process which has come under fire since 2015 (when the relocation of the first structure - the Zeynel Bey Tomb - began) for its lack of transparency. There are fears about the impact of the relocation on their preservation, the initiative notes.
Back in 2008, work on the €1.2 billion ($1.84 billion) project was suspended temporarily after having not met the World Bank environmental and heritage standards for funding, and Hasankeyf was placed on the World Monument Watch list, which highlights sites around the world deemed to face the most threat, followed by its inclusion in the 2016 "Seven Most Endangered" ranking by Europa Nostra, the European cultural heritage body and consultant group for Unesco.
While Hasankeyf and the surrounding Tigris Valley is said to meet nine of the 10 criteria to merit Unesco World Heritage status, and Hasakeyf was also declared a "first degree archaeological site" by the country's supreme board of monuments back in 1978, the project has still gone forward and is said to be around 97 per cent completed, the Turkish minister for forests and water, Veysel Eroglu, claimed back in August.
DSI State Hydraulic Works, the project owner on behalf of the Turkish government, has announced plans for the resettlement of Hasankeyf residents to begin in 2018, with the flooding of the village starting from the end of next year and into the start of 2019, according to Hasankeyf'i Yaşatma Girişimi.
Turkey's ministry of culture and tourism and DSI have yet to confirm the pending status of the Hasankeyf cultural park, the completion date of the Ilisu dam and other remaining uncertainties around the project.
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But the initiative states: "The hydroelectric power plant is still not completed; the large bridge near Hasankeyf and many roads in the areas to be flooded are still under construction; and the expropriation of hundreds of affected households as well as the construction of New-Hasankeyf still continue."
As the development of the controversial project continues, below we look at other sunken towns and villages around the world.
13 fascinating sunken towns and villages around the world
1. Curon Venosta, Italy
This mountain town in Trentino-Alto Adige was razed in 1950 to make way for a hydroelectric plant that required the merging of two large lakes. The only clue to its existence is the church belltower poking out of the water, which can sometimes be visited in winter when the lake freezes over.
2. Villa Epecuén, Argentina
Epecuén, in the farmlands southwest of Buenos Aires, was once a bustling little lakeside resort, where 1,500 people served 20-thousand tourists a season.
During the town's golden age, the same trains that carried grain to the outside world brought visitors from the capital to relax in Epecuen's saltwater baths and spas.
A particularly heavy rainstorm followed a series of wet winters, and the lake overflowed its banks on November 10, 1985. For 25 years, the town remained trapped under water but then in 2007, following several years of dry weather, the floods began to recede.
The town hasn't been rebuilt, but it has become a tourist destination again for people willing to drive at least six hours from Buenos Aires, along 340 miles of narrow country roads, to visit it.
3. Vilarinho das Furnas, Portugal
Photo: Shutterstock
This 2000-year-old Portuguese village on the banks of the River Homemn in northern Portugal was also submerged by the building of a reservoir, which was completed in the early Seventies.
Remnants of the walls, windows and doors of homes in the village can be seen during the dry season when the water levels recede.
4. Potosi, Venezuela
For decades, the only sign of the Venezuelan drowned town of Potosi has been a church spire sticking up in a lake.
But last year, the town on the South American country's eastern edge began to re-emerge inch by inch.
Today, cows graze in the muddy grass below the 85 foot (26 metre)-high facade of the stone church, and tourists and former residents are returning to see what is left of the village.
The cause of the strange phenomenon? A severe drought that has dried out most of Venezuela. The mountain town was flooded in 1984 thanks to a dam project.
5. Geamana, Romania
When copper was discovered in the hills above the village of Geamana in the 1970s, its residents probably didn't think it would mean the destruction of their pretty valley. But, with the engineers needing somewhere to dump waste water from the new copper mine, dictator Nicolae Ceausescu ordered that Geamana's 400 families be resettled and the village flooded.
6. Port Royal, Jamaica
This historic fishing village, dating back to 1518, was once the shipping and trade centre of the New World and a key British naval base in the 17th century. It was the largest city in the Caribbean before it was destroyed by a catastrophic earthquake accompanied by a tsunami back in 1692, followed by subsequent hurricanes through the 20th century.
Preserved in situ, five buildings remain and thousands of artefacts have been recovered, including preserved food. Special permission is required from the government to dive the site, but many items can be seen at the National Museum at the Institute of Jamaica in Kingston.
Back in 2012, the Jamaican government launched a campaign to secure Unesco World Heritage status for the sunken city.
7. Shi Cheng, China
Quiandao Lake, a vast expanse of sapphire-blue water, boasts over 1000 forest-topped islands – but it hasn't always been so. The lake was formed in 1959, when the valley was flooded to create a reservoir and hydroelectric power station. When the waters flowed in, they also flooded Shi Cheng, a 1400-year-old settlement thought to be the size of 60 football fields.
Only a handful of dive operators run trips to the region, and visibility can be volatile. But if you're patient (and well practiced), you'll be rewarded with up-close encounters with some of China's most fascinating ancient treasures – including ornate carvings, towering archways and incredible sculptures of lions and dragons.
8. Kekova, Turkey
Off the coast of the Turkish city of Antalya lies the small uninhabited island of Kekova. It's a beautiful and tranquil place, with water a jewelled shade of blue. It's also fragrant, as the name "Kekova", which derives from the Turkish word for thyme, suggests.
But the island is perhaps best known for its curious attraction: the remains of a sunken ancient city visible below the waves. These are the ruins of a trading post, Simena, destroyed by earthquakes in the second century.
While it is possible boat or kayak around the area, and dive nearby, under-water exploration has been banned since 1986 as part of a series of measures to protect the lost city's heritage. It declared the region a Specially Protected Area in 1990, and in 2000 submitted Kekova to Unesco for consideration as a World Heritage Site. It currently sits on the organisation's Tentative List.
9. Pavlopetri, Greece
Discovered in 1967 by Dr Nicholas Flemming, this is the world's oldest submerged settlement, founded 5000 years ago. Off Laconia in the Peloponnese, it is unique in having a complete grid of streets, buildings and tombs 10-12ft underwater. Snorkelling is permitted.
10. Nora, Sardinia
The ruins of this ancient Roman city are found both above and below the surface. Above ground, there's a near-intact theatre, baths, and the Temple of Aesculapuis - but follow the the Roman road that extends west from the ruins and you'll be surprised to see it plunge into the Tyrrhenian Sea. It leads to a vast underwater Nora that divers, with permission, can explore.
11. Cleopatra's Palace, Egypt
Buried in the harbour mud of Alexandria, Cleopatra's royal quarters remained a secret until 1968 when divers located the ruins. Surveys revealed 2500 pieces of stonework, including columns, statues and a quartzite block engraved with the outline of a pharaoh, all toppled by an earthquake. After mapping, some artifacts were removed but many remain. The site, at 15-25 feet deep, can be dived but visibility is poor.
12. Derwent, Derbyshire
Closer to home, the villages of Derwent and Ashapton were flooded in 1944, when the Ladybower Reservoir was created. The church spire was originally left as a memorial to the village but was demolished in 1947. One of the most important surviving markers of the former Derwent Village is its packhorse bridge – a designated monument of national importance which was transported and rebuilt at the Howden Reservoir at Slippery Stones.
13. Hampton-on-Sea, Kent
Hampton-on-Sea was a historic fishing hamlet dating back to 1864 in Herne Bay, Kent, which was destroyed by coastal flooding and erosion in 1921. The abandoned village sat in what is now the Hampton area of Herne Bay and all that remains of its former life is a portion of the original pier and an arc of its coastal defence, which is only visible at low tide.
The Telegraph, London
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Source:
Hasankeyf, Turkey's ancient city that's about to disappear – and 13 other submerged towns
