Mr. Argun’s garden, along with thousands of years of history, will be submerged when Turkey completes a hydroelectric
dam on the Tigris River, a project that dates back to the 1950s. The
dam is more than 80 percent complete, but the part that will force Mr.
Argun, and thousands of his neighbors, from their homes awaits: the
filling of a reservoir that will cover much of the city.
“It’s
going to ruin a historic city,” said Zeynep Ahunbay, a professor of
architectural history in Istanbul, who has opposed the project.
Hasankeyf
(pronounced has-AN-kayf) has an abundance of history, more than 12,000
years of it, dating back to the Neolithic period, when it was the site
of one of the world’s first organized human settlements. The empires
that came later all left their imprints: Byzantines, Romans, Seljuks,
Ottomans. The archaeological highlight is a citadel, on high ground
overlooking the river, and while that will stay above the water,
scientists worry that over time its limestone base, which is porous,
will erode and ultimately collapse.
The
dam project has its roots in the ambitions of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk,
the founder of modern Turkey, who envisioned a constellation of dams on
the Euphrates and Tigris Rivers to meet the country’s energy needs.
Turkey’s
control of the headwaters of the Euphrates and Tigris, rivers that feed
Syria and Iraq, has long been controversial in the Middle East, with
critics saying decisions made by Turkey have led to water shortages in
both other countries that have contributed to instability and wars.
The dam, in the village of Ilisu, has raised alarms in Iraq,
where activists warn it will reduce the water flow to the marshlands in
the Iraqi south. “If the marshes don’t receive an adequate share of
water, they will vanish,” said Nadia al-Baghdady, an activist in
Baghdad.
Engineering
plans for the Ilisu Dam were first drawn up in the 1980s. There have
been many delays — work stoppages, resistance from environmentalists and
even sabotage. In 2009, European creditors pulled their funding over
fears that the project would destroy the area’s cultural heritage.
For
decades the residents of Hasankeyf, many of whom speak Kurdish, Arabic
and Turkish and make a living herding sheep or weaving rugs, have lived
with the knowledge that, at some point, they would be forced from their
homes. To accommodate them, the Turkish government is building a new
Hasankeyf and buying up homes in the old city, even though, given so
many delays, no one can say for sure when the reservoir will be filled.
“It’s
very sad,” said John Crofoot, an American who has lived for several
years in Hasankeyf, and has been an outspoken activist opposing the dam,
saying its costs to the local population, and to history, are too
great. “They are dejected. They love their town and are proud of the
history of Hasankeyf. It’s where their grandparents and
great-grandparents are buried.”
Mr.
Argun said he has no interest in moving to the new city. “I am going to
throw myself to the mountains like Robinson Crusoe,” he said. “Just a
makeshift cabin is enough.”
Follow Tim Arango on Twitter @tarangoNYT.
Публикации
Няма коментари:
Публикуване на коментар