History of Hasankeyf
The history of the ancient city of Hasankeyf spans 10,000 years making it one of the oldest continuously inhabited settlements in the world. The first settlers lived in man-made caves along the river. Circa 300 AD the Romans built a fortress to protect their empire from the Persians to the East. The city belonged to the Byzantine Empire in the V century before being captured by the Arabs in 640. Over the next six hundred years Hasankeyf would be ruled by the Turkish Atukid dynasty, the Ayyubids and the Mongols. During this period Hasankeyf was an important transit city on the Silk Road. In 1515 the Ottomans took over and since then the city has remained a part of modern Turkey. Each civilization brought to the town a new culture, a different architecture, resulting in a unique collection of artifacts and monuments including two palaces, five mosques, a mausoleum, a bridge and numerous houses and man-made caves. As a result of this rich history, the Turkish government classified the city as an archaeological site in March 1978. In March 1981, 22 monuments entered the Turkish Cultural Inventory List.
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Hasankeyf is also an important pilgrimage centre where every year tens of thousands of people flock to pray on the tombs of important religious figures and hoping to cure illnesses or give birth.
Impacts of the project
- Flooding in the Lower Town. All monuments and artifacts in the Lower Town will be completely submerged and destroyed.
- Erosion due to higher water levels and wave action. Along the cliffs some boulders threaten to fall but the report states their toppling would not affect the overall stability of the upper town.
- Instability in the Upper Town. The weakening of the cliffs could cause the collapse of cave roofs, as well as endanger valuable monuments in the valley. However the EIA report states that favourable geological conditions prevail in the area (sandy limestone) and that existing fractures are steep and so do not present any risk of sliding. The report did expose one exception, which is the large wedge on which the “Little Palace” stands. The preliminary engineering investigations concluded that damaging events are unlikely.
Mitigation
UPPER TOWN
LOWER TOWN
NEW HASANKEYF
MANAGEMENT PLAN
With a budget of $US 30.5million this master plan takes into account:
- Transformation into an Archaeological Park. The in-situ buildings and structures would receive major repair and consolidation. The Big Palace and Ulu Mosque could thereafter serve as museums where art pieces from the Lower Town could be shown.
- Hiring of full time archaeologist to coordinate workers and proceed to any necessary archaeological investigation.
- Implementation of "simple technical measures" such as bolting and rock anchoring, to stabilize fragile monuments, caves and cliffs. Concerning the large wedge under the Little Palace, further rock mechanical evaluations will be needed to decide if rock anchors are required.
- Overhanging boulders that threaten artifacts in their vicinity should be stabilized.
- Stabilization measures against wave erosion "might appear advisable" in areas of weaker sandstone layers.
LOWER TOWN
- Most valuable monuments will be relocated to a Cultural Park, situated near the new town of Hasankeyf. The Cultural Park will welcome tourists.
NEW HASANKEYF
- Inhabitants will be relocated to the left bank of the Tigris river, in front of the existing town, besides the Cultural Park.
MANAGEMENT PLAN
With a budget of $US 30.5million this master plan takes into account:
- Appointment of the Project Steering Committee who will "Execute the Cultural and Archeological Salvage Operation".
- Define the Scope of Services and Preparation of a General Work Schedule according to the Provided Financing
- Determination and Evaluation of the New Hasankeyf Settlement Location and Preparation of a Layout Plan for the New Historical Hasankeyf.
- Performance of Hasankeyf Archaeological Excavations.
- Construction of Substructures and Related Civil Works of the New Historical Hasankeyf.
- Preparation of the Application Drawings for the New Historical Hasankeyf and Approval of them by the Authorities.
critique
STRENGTHS
WEAKNESSES
- Report recognized two shortcomings. Firstly the nature and extent of the management relating to the Archaeological Park remain undefined. Secondly not all monuments of the Lower Town can be relocated. Only four have been given the green light: the 2nd Castle Gate, The El-Rizk Mosque minaret and the mosque, The Sultan Süleyman Mosque minaret and the mosque and the Zeynel Bey Türbesi (mausoleum).
WEAKNESSES
- The nature and extent of the management relating to the Archaeological Park remain undefined.
- The report does not refer to any monitoring or follow up procedures.
- No mention in the report of the monuments that can not be relocated.
- “Officials” determine whether lower town monuments should be relocated to the new town or to the Cultural Park. Consultation with the local population only occurs when the relocation involves minarets.
- Risk of anarchic tourist development that could further destroy artifacts. No infrastructure has yet been planned, but “measures will be taken” according to the report… Tourists visiting the site will surely weaken it, especially if they are allowed to wander unconstrained.
- The people of Hasankeyf were not represented at the meetings where the location of the new Hasankeyf was decided upon.
- No attention was paid to the pilgrims and their rights.
- The city is classified by Ministry of Culture and thus should be protected from all threats.
- The simple technical measures to stabilize the Uppertown remain vague.