Tigris River will soon drown historic Turkish town
An ancient in North Kurdistan (southeastern Turkey), Hasankeyf, will be submerged in the coming months.
Hasankeyf and its surrounding limestone cliffs are home to thousands of human-made caves, 300 medieval monuments and a unique canyon ecosystem, according to the Smithsonian.
The ancient town, which has been inhabited for 12,000 years, will be swallowed up by an artificial lake as part of the Ilisu hydroelectric dam project, AFP News reports.
The dam will be Turkey's second largest. It has been built further downstream of the Tigris River, which runs through Hasankeyf.
The Ilisu dam project is a central element of the Southeastern Anatolia Project (GAP), a land development plan to boost the economy of the long-neglected region, through hydroelectric energy and irrigation, AFP reports.
The 3,000 habitants of Hasankeyf are divided on their feelings about the imminent flooding of their town and a hundred nearby villages.
Some are angry at the sacrifice being imposed on them, while others are impatient for the economic benefits promised by the government, AFP reports.
Many of the residents feel that the project will destroy the history embedded in their historic town.
However, the Turkish government dismisses much of the criticism, arguing that everything has been done to save the monuments.
For example, in August 2018, the 1,600-tonne historic Artuklu Hamam bath house was loaded onto a wheeled platform and moved down a specially constructed road to its new home. A site that is located 2 kilometers (approximately 1.8 miles) from the town and is soon to become an archaeological park.
Workers also recently moved the remnants of a 14th-century Ayyubid mosque to that same site.
In May 2017, workers moved an enormous, 600-year-old tomb on a large wheeled platform to safety. The 15th-century, domed Zeynel Bey Tomb weighed approximately 1,100 tons.
These relocation operations have transformed the town into a construction site.
Busloads of tourists have been replaced by swarms of dump trucks and a crane that sits at the town's entrance, AFP reports.
Despite the disruptions, other residents feel that their town may benefit from the move, believing that it may boost tourism and improve their lifestyles.
During the inauguration of the Ilisu construction site in 2006, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, then prime minister, promised the dam would bring "the greatest benefit" to local people. LIAR
Part of this promise involves building a "new Hasankeyf" on the other side of the river, with spacious flats and an ultra-modern hospital.
Engineers are waiting for the green light from Erdogan to close a third floodgate and complete the retention of the water, a process launched last summer, AFP reports.
After that, a three-month countdown will begin for Hasankeyf before it disappears beneath the Tigris.
https://www.accuweather.com/en/weather- ... r/70007118
Facebook
Search
Welcome To Roj Bash Kurdistan
SHAME on Kurds who allowed Hasankeyf to be DESTROYED
Hasankeyf 12,000 times more important than Ocalan
Author: Anthea » Fri Jan 11, 2019 8:21 pm
Last edited by Anthea on Sun May 19, 2019 8:28 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Good Thoughts Good Words Good Deeds
-
Anthea - Shaswar
- Donator
- Posts: 28437
- Images: 1155
- Joined: Thu Oct 18, 2012 2:13 pm
- Location: Sitting in front of computer
- Highscores: 3
- Arcade winning challenges: 6
- Has thanked: 6019 times
- Been thanked: 729 times
- Nationality: Kurd by heart
Re: ALL Kurds MUST stop Hasankeyf destruction by Turk invade
Author: Anthea » Mon Feb 11, 2019 11:01 pm
Kurdistan’s ancient city Hasankeyf
soon to disappear under water
The ancient city of Hasankeyf Northern Kurdistan, is well known as an archaeological treasure but sadly will soon be flooded by an artificial lake, part of the Ilisu hydroelectric dam project
The authorities say that the dam will provide the country with electricity and water for irrigation but the dam itself has a lifespan of only 50-60 years
Critics are concerned that the project will destroy the ancient monuments of culture, including the caves of the Neolithic period, and radically change the local ecosystem
Flora and fauna unique to the Hasankeyf valley will be totally wiped out
One of the MOST important sites on Kurdish land is about to be destroyed
Time Kurds got their priorities right
Hasankeyf and the saving of the 3,000 Yazidi captives, are the two main priorities Kurds have to deal with
Everything else falls way behind in the list of priorities
soon to disappear under water
The ancient city of Hasankeyf Northern Kurdistan, is well known as an archaeological treasure but sadly will soon be flooded by an artificial lake, part of the Ilisu hydroelectric dam project
The authorities say that the dam will provide the country with electricity and water for irrigation but the dam itself has a lifespan of only 50-60 years
Critics are concerned that the project will destroy the ancient monuments of culture, including the caves of the Neolithic period, and radically change the local ecosystem
Flora and fauna unique to the Hasankeyf valley will be totally wiped out
One of the MOST important sites on Kurdish land is about to be destroyed
Time Kurds got their priorities right
Hasankeyf and the saving of the 3,000 Yazidi captives, are the two main priorities Kurds have to deal with
Everything else falls way behind in the list of priorities
Good Thoughts Good Words Good Deeds
-
Anthea - Shaswar
- Donator
- Posts: 28437
- Images: 1155
- Joined: Thu Oct 18, 2012 2:13 pm
- Location: Sitting in front of computer
- Highscores: 3
- Arcade winning challenges: 6
- Has thanked: 6019 times
- Been thanked: 729 times
- Nationality: Kurd by heart
Re: ALL Kurds MUST stop Hasankeyf destruction by Turk invade
Author: Anthea » Thu Feb 21, 2019 11:24 pm
Top Euro rights court reject application
concerning dam construction on Hasankeyf
The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has dismissed an appeal against Turkey concerning the construction of the Ilısu dam in the southeastern Batman province’s archeological site of Hasankeyf
The ECHR unanimously ruled that the application is “inadmissible” and found that there was no arguable claim that the project would violate the right to education and the right to respect for private life, according to a statement on Feb. 21.
The ECHR asserted that protecting the heritage is of Turkish authorities’ responsibility and that “the Court has no jurisdiction to consider whether or to what extent the construction of a dam could undermine a cultural heritage.”
Five applicants, three professors, a lawyer and a journalist, all involved in various fields related to the site, took the case to the ECHR in March 2006.
One of the applicants initially applied to Turkey’s Prime Minister’s Office for the cancellation of the dam project. Following the tacit dismissal of his request, the lawyer applied to an Ankara administrative court, which also dismissed his appeal in 2012.
“The destruction of Hasankeyf will violate the right to education of today’s humanity as well as the future generations,” the applicants said in their application, adding that the transferal of monuments to another place is not possible since most of the remains are “not amenable to such manipulation.”
The applicants also argued that the construction of the Ilısu dam will have irreversible impact on the nature and landscape of the region.
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/top-eu ... eyf-141399
concerning dam construction on Hasankeyf
The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has dismissed an appeal against Turkey concerning the construction of the Ilısu dam in the southeastern Batman province’s archeological site of Hasankeyf
The ECHR unanimously ruled that the application is “inadmissible” and found that there was no arguable claim that the project would violate the right to education and the right to respect for private life, according to a statement on Feb. 21.
The ECHR asserted that protecting the heritage is of Turkish authorities’ responsibility and that “the Court has no jurisdiction to consider whether or to what extent the construction of a dam could undermine a cultural heritage.”
Five applicants, three professors, a lawyer and a journalist, all involved in various fields related to the site, took the case to the ECHR in March 2006.
One of the applicants initially applied to Turkey’s Prime Minister’s Office for the cancellation of the dam project. Following the tacit dismissal of his request, the lawyer applied to an Ankara administrative court, which also dismissed his appeal in 2012.
“The destruction of Hasankeyf will violate the right to education of today’s humanity as well as the future generations,” the applicants said in their application, adding that the transferal of monuments to another place is not possible since most of the remains are “not amenable to such manipulation.”
The applicants also argued that the construction of the Ilısu dam will have irreversible impact on the nature and landscape of the region.
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/top-eu ... eyf-141399
Good Thoughts Good Words Good Deeds
-
Anthea - Shaswar
- Donator
- Posts: 28437
- Images: 1155
- Joined: Thu Oct 18, 2012 2:13 pm
- Location: Sitting in front of computer
- Highscores: 3
- Arcade winning challenges: 6
- Has thanked: 6019 times
- Been thanked: 729 times
- Nationality: Kurd by heart
Re: ALL Kurds MUST stop Hasankeyf destruction by Turk invade
Author: Anthea » Fri Feb 22, 2019 3:29 am
ECHR Dismisses Appeal for Conserving Hasankeyf
The ECHR has dismissed the appeal for conserving Hasankeyf archeological site because “there is not a universal individual right to the protection of the cultural heritage.”
The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has dismissed the appeal regarding the construction of the Ilısu Dam, which will leave the ancient city of Hasankeyf under water.
For hte conservation of the cultural heritage in sourheastern Batman province, Prof. Dr. Zeynep Ahunbay, Prof. Dr. Oluş Arık, Prof. Dr. Metin Ahunbay, Avukat Murat Cano and Özcan Yüksek appealed to the court in 2006.
The court unanimously ruled that the appeal is "inadmissable."
The decision was given by a Chamber of seven judges, composed as follows: Robert Spano (Iceland), President, Ledi Bianku (Albania), Işıl Karakaş (Turkey), Julia Laffranque (Estonia), Valeriu Griţco (the Republic of Moldova), Jon Fridrik Kjølbro (Denmark), Stéphanie Mourou-Vikström (Monaco) and also Stanley Naismith, Section Registrar.
Appeal "incompatible with ECHR"
The court ruled that the appeal was incompatible with the Articles 35/3 (a) and 35/4 of the European Convention on Human Rights.
It stated that there has been no European consensus, or even a trend among the member States of the Council of Europe, which would have made it possible to infer from the Convention's provisions that there existed a universal individual right to the protection of the cultural heritage.
Hasankeyf Initiative: "ECtHR evades responsibility"
The "Initiative to Make Hasankeyf Live" has made a statement after the court's ruling, saying that the ECtHR "evaded responsibility" by dismissing the appeal.
"This cultural and natural place is inarguably one of the most important heritage sites in Turkey, Middle East, and Europe and is much more valuable than any economic investment," it said.
The Initiative added that had the ECtHR would make a decision against Hasankeyf's sinking in water, it could pressure the government of Turkey to reach the high environmental and social standards.
Applicants demanded halt to construction
The ECtHR stated the following on the application:
"Relying in essence on Article 8 (right to respect for private life) and Article 2 of Protocol No. 1 (right to education), the applicants complained that the planned construction of the dam was liable to destroy the Hasankeyf archaeological site.
"They also alleged that the plan to move certain monuments from the site would be impossible to implement and that many of the archaeological remains did not lend themselves to such treatment.
"In consequence, they asked the Court to indicate preventive measures to the Government before the Hasankeyf site was flooded."
https://bianet.org/english/environment/ ... gical-site
The ECHR has dismissed the appeal for conserving Hasankeyf archeological site because “there is not a universal individual right to the protection of the cultural heritage.”
The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has dismissed the appeal regarding the construction of the Ilısu Dam, which will leave the ancient city of Hasankeyf under water.
For hte conservation of the cultural heritage in sourheastern Batman province, Prof. Dr. Zeynep Ahunbay, Prof. Dr. Oluş Arık, Prof. Dr. Metin Ahunbay, Avukat Murat Cano and Özcan Yüksek appealed to the court in 2006.
The court unanimously ruled that the appeal is "inadmissable."
The decision was given by a Chamber of seven judges, composed as follows: Robert Spano (Iceland), President, Ledi Bianku (Albania), Işıl Karakaş (Turkey), Julia Laffranque (Estonia), Valeriu Griţco (the Republic of Moldova), Jon Fridrik Kjølbro (Denmark), Stéphanie Mourou-Vikström (Monaco) and also Stanley Naismith, Section Registrar.
Appeal "incompatible with ECHR"
The court ruled that the appeal was incompatible with the Articles 35/3 (a) and 35/4 of the European Convention on Human Rights.
It stated that there has been no European consensus, or even a trend among the member States of the Council of Europe, which would have made it possible to infer from the Convention's provisions that there existed a universal individual right to the protection of the cultural heritage.
Hasankeyf Initiative: "ECtHR evades responsibility"
The "Initiative to Make Hasankeyf Live" has made a statement after the court's ruling, saying that the ECtHR "evaded responsibility" by dismissing the appeal.
"This cultural and natural place is inarguably one of the most important heritage sites in Turkey, Middle East, and Europe and is much more valuable than any economic investment," it said.
The Initiative added that had the ECtHR would make a decision against Hasankeyf's sinking in water, it could pressure the government of Turkey to reach the high environmental and social standards.
- What do the articles say?
Article 34: The Court may receive applications from any person, nongovernmental organisation or group of individuals claiming to be the victim of a violation by one of the High Contracting Parties of the rights set forth in the Convention or the Protocols thereto. The High Contracting Parties undertake not to hinder in any way the effective exercise of this right.
Article 35/3 (a): The Court shall declare inadmissible any individual application submitted under Article 34 if it considers that the application is incompatible with the provisions of the Convention or the Protocols thereto, manifestly ill-founded, or an abuse of the right of individual application
Article 35/4: The Court shall reject any application which it considers
inadmissible under this Article. It may do so at any stage of the proceedings.
Applicants demanded halt to construction
The ECtHR stated the following on the application:
"Relying in essence on Article 8 (right to respect for private life) and Article 2 of Protocol No. 1 (right to education), the applicants complained that the planned construction of the dam was liable to destroy the Hasankeyf archaeological site.
"They also alleged that the plan to move certain monuments from the site would be impossible to implement and that many of the archaeological remains did not lend themselves to such treatment.
"In consequence, they asked the Court to indicate preventive measures to the Government before the Hasankeyf site was flooded."
https://bianet.org/english/environment/ ... gical-site
Good Thoughts Good Words Good Deeds
-
Anthea - Shaswar
- Donator
- Posts: 28437
- Images: 1155
- Joined: Thu Oct 18, 2012 2:13 pm
- Location: Sitting in front of computer
- Highscores: 3
- Arcade winning challenges: 6
- Has thanked: 6019 times
- Been thanked: 729 times
- Nationality: Kurd by heart
Re: ALL Kurds MUST stop Hasankeyf destruction by Turk invade
Author: Anthea » Fri Feb 22, 2019 3:37 am
Hasankeyf Shortlisted Among 7
Most Endangered Cultural Heritage
Ancient City of Hasankeyf and its surrounding to be submerged because of dam and Hydroelectric Power Plant (HES) surrounding has been shortlisted for Seven Most Endangered program 2016 by Europa Nostra and the European Investment Bank Institute
Hasankeyf located by border of Batman province and by Tigris river is under direct threat of Ilısu Dam and Hydroelectric Power Plant Project. In case the project in construction is completed, the ancient city will be submerged and most of the archeological remnants will be damaged.
Europe’s leading cultural heritage organization Europa Nostra, and European Investment Bank Institute (EIBI) announced the list in a public event held in Ateneo Veneto in Venice of Italy.
Hasankeyf with the support of Hasankeyf Matters and Keeping Hasankeyf Alive Initiative was nominated by Cultural Awareness Foundation.
Other six places in the list are as follows: The Archaeological site of Ererouyk and the village of Ani Pemza in Armenia, Patarei Sea Fortress in Tallinn inEstonia, Helsinki-Malmi Airport in Finland, Colbert Swing Bridge in Dieppe inFrance, the Kampos of Chios in Greece, the Convent of St. Anthony of Padua in Extremadura in Spain,
They need support
Maestro Plácido Domingo, President of Europa Nostra, stated: “This list spotlights rare examples of Europe’s cultural and natural heritage that are at risk of being lost forever. The local communities are firmly engaged in trying to save these testaments to our shared story but need widespread support.
On behalf of Europa Nostra, I urge national and European stakeholders, both public and private, to join forces with us to ensure a promising future for these sites. Rescuing our common heritage brings countless social and economic benefits not just for the regions and the countries involved but for Europe as a whole, as has been increasingly recognised by EU institutions and is clearly demonstrated in the recent report ‘Cultural Heritage Counts for Europe’”. (NV/TK)
https://bianet.org/english/other/173063 ... l-heritage
Most Endangered Cultural Heritage
Ancient City of Hasankeyf and its surrounding to be submerged because of dam and Hydroelectric Power Plant (HES) surrounding has been shortlisted for Seven Most Endangered program 2016 by Europa Nostra and the European Investment Bank Institute
Hasankeyf located by border of Batman province and by Tigris river is under direct threat of Ilısu Dam and Hydroelectric Power Plant Project. In case the project in construction is completed, the ancient city will be submerged and most of the archeological remnants will be damaged.
Europe’s leading cultural heritage organization Europa Nostra, and European Investment Bank Institute (EIBI) announced the list in a public event held in Ateneo Veneto in Venice of Italy.
Hasankeyf with the support of Hasankeyf Matters and Keeping Hasankeyf Alive Initiative was nominated by Cultural Awareness Foundation.
Other six places in the list are as follows: The Archaeological site of Ererouyk and the village of Ani Pemza in Armenia, Patarei Sea Fortress in Tallinn inEstonia, Helsinki-Malmi Airport in Finland, Colbert Swing Bridge in Dieppe inFrance, the Kampos of Chios in Greece, the Convent of St. Anthony of Padua in Extremadura in Spain,
- Hasankeyf
Hasankeyf, sitting on the banks of the River Tigris, is one of the most important architectural and archaeological sites in Europe, boasting a rich biodiversity and 12,000 years of human history. Masterpieces of Islamic architecture, dating from the 12th to 15th centuries C.E., make the town one of the best preserved witnesses to Seljuk urban culture, particularly from the Artukid and Ayyubid dynasties.
A small town with a great heritage, Hasankeyf already attracts about 500.000 visitors each year, a number expected to rise. Given its historical, architectural and economic significance for the region, public opinion supports its preservation. The area was declared a First Degree Archaeological Site by Turkey's Supreme Board of Monuments in 1978 and has been under the protection of the Culture Ministry's General Directorate of Antiquities and Museums since 1981.
The urgent threat to Hasankeyf is posed by the Ilisu dam hydroelectric power project which, if implemented as planned, would submerge the site under 65 metres of water by 2018. The Government of Turkey has a vision for salvaging selected monuments and developing the site as a prestigious destination. However, Hasankeyf's preservation in its original location might prove more economically advantageous than the dam, and its cultural significance for Turkey is incomparable.
The Cultural Awareness Foundation nominated Hasankeyf for 'The 7 Most Endangered' 2016 in an attempt to preserve it and to promote dialogue about heritage conservation and sustainability.
In addition, Europa Nostra and the EIB Institute - following a firm recommendation from an international advisory panel of experts - decided that the Venice Lagoon in Italy should be declared the most endangered heritage site in Europe.
They need support
Maestro Plácido Domingo, President of Europa Nostra, stated: “This list spotlights rare examples of Europe’s cultural and natural heritage that are at risk of being lost forever. The local communities are firmly engaged in trying to save these testaments to our shared story but need widespread support.
On behalf of Europa Nostra, I urge national and European stakeholders, both public and private, to join forces with us to ensure a promising future for these sites. Rescuing our common heritage brings countless social and economic benefits not just for the regions and the countries involved but for Europe as a whole, as has been increasingly recognised by EU institutions and is clearly demonstrated in the recent report ‘Cultural Heritage Counts for Europe’”. (NV/TK)
https://bianet.org/english/other/173063 ... l-heritage
Good Thoughts Good Words Good Deeds
-
Anthea - Shaswar
- Donator
- Posts: 28437
- Images: 1155
- Joined: Thu Oct 18, 2012 2:13 pm
- Location: Sitting in front of computer
- Highscores: 3
- Arcade winning challenges: 6
- Has thanked: 6019 times
- Been thanked: 729 times
- Nationality: Kurd by heart
Re: STOP destruction of Hasankeyf before it is too late
Author: Anthea » Fri Feb 22, 2019 4:31 am
HASANKEYF IS ON KURDISH LAND
One day Kurdistan will be FREE and the next generation of Kurds will be ashamed that their parents did nothing to protect Hasankeyf - the most important site in Kurdistan
Turkey has been destroying Kurdish lands ever since it gained control over them
I am furious at the Kurds lack of support for such a valuable historical site
Kurds should get their priorities right:
One day Kurdistan will be FREE and the next generation of Kurds will be ashamed that their parents did nothing to protect Hasankeyf - the most important site in Kurdistan
Turkey has been destroying Kurdish lands ever since it gained control over them
I am furious at the Kurds lack of support for such a valuable historical site
Kurds should get their priorities right:
- Leaders come and go
They are replaced
They are forgotten
Good Thoughts Good Words Good Deeds
-
Anthea - Shaswar
- Donator
- Posts: 28437
- Images: 1155
- Joined: Thu Oct 18, 2012 2:13 pm
- Location: Sitting in front of computer
- Highscores: 3
- Arcade winning challenges: 6
- Has thanked: 6019 times
- Been thanked: 729 times
- Nationality: Kurd by heart
Re: STOP destruction of Hasankeyf before it is too late
Author: Anthea » Fri May 17, 2019 11:07 pm
It‘s Not too Late to Save Hasankeyf and Tigris River! No Filling of the Ilisu Dam Reservoir!
International Urgent Call to Turkish Government and International Public
For 12.000 years, Hasankeyf in the Southeast of Turkey has been a site of uninterrupted human settlement. With the labour of dozen of cultures this outstanding universal site has been created on the banks of the Tigris River and adjacent small valleys and hills.
Recent excavations show that Hasankeyf lays atop of a deep, uncovered cultural heritage. Independent researchers state that Hasankeyf and the surrounding Tigris Valley are as important historically as Ephesus, Troy and Cappadocia and fulfill 9 out of the 10 UNESCO criteria for a World Heritage Site. It is assumed that Hasankeyf is the twin of Göbeklitepe, a sanctuary site 225 km to the west with a similar age, which led to global new conclusions on history’s first human settlement.
While the Turkish government achieved the inclusion of Göbeklitepe in UNESCO’s World Heritage List, Hasankeyf and the surrounding Tigris Valley is planned to be flooded by the Ilisu Dam and Hydroelectric Power Plant Project, which is almost fully constructed. In recent statements the Turkish government announced that it will start the filling of the Ilisu dam reservoir on June 10, 2019. Officials add that in October 2019 Hasankeyf town would be affected by raising water level.
The Ilisu Project was and is a completely wrong and destructive investment. That is why since the beginning the project it was strongly opposed not only at the local level in Turkey, but also in Iraq, Syria and globally.
Contrary to official claims, the dam would have no socio-economic or any other benefit for the majority of society in the affected region and up to 80.000 people would loose their livelihoods. Apart from Hasankeyf, an important part of the not yet excavated cultural heritage in Upper Mesopotamia along the Tigris River would be flooded.
The biodiversity of the Tigris River ecosystem – still mainly natural – would be degraded significantly. The Ilisu Project would also gravely affect the downstream stretches of the Tigris, seriously jeopardizing the water supply of major Iraqi towns, and Iraqi agriculture would be put under serious risk. In particular the UNESCO site of Mesopotamian Marshes in southern Iraq would be threatened with drying out due to reduced downstream flows.
In the last few years, the government’s program of so-called “monument relocation and consolidation of rocks” has seriously damaged the cultural heritage in Hasankeyf. But there is still so much cultural heritage left to rescue. Despite the project near completion, we believe strongly that the cancellation of the Ilisu project would stimulate a process from which the broader local population, Turkey and Iraq would benefit directly, economically as well as socially and culturally.
We call upon on the Turkish government not to start the filling by the Ilisu Dam, neither in June nor later. Instead a new broad, participative and transparent discussion with all representatives of the local population on the future of the affected five provinces should be started.
Based on the common outcomes of these participatory discussions, policies on the future of the Tigris Valley and the surrounding region should be developed and implemented with the agreement of all affected parties. Another condition should be the achievement of a mutual agreement with Iraq and Syria according to international law, which should guarantee sufficient water flows into the Mesopotamian Marshes and southern Iraq.
We call on all people and organizations all around the world to support our demands and to launch similar calls on the Turkish government!
A call by:
Initiative to Keep Hasankeyf Alive, Turkey
Save the Tigris Campaign, Iraq
Mountain Watch, Iran
Humat Dijlah, Iraq
Make Rojava Green Again, Rojava/Syria
Mesopotamia Ecology Movement, Turkey
Waterkeeper Iraq, Kurdistan Region of Iraq
Hasankeyf Matters, Turkey
Iraqi Civil Society Solidarity Initiative (ICSSI), Iraq
Ecology Union, Turkey
Munzur Environmental Association, Turkey
Iraqi Social Forum, Iraq
Green Rage Ecology Collective, Turkey
Güzel Zağros’u Destekleme Halk Kampanyası, İran
TMMOB (Union of Chambers of Engineers and Architects) Batman Provincial Coordination Council, Turkey
Civil Development Organization (CDO), Kurdistan Region of Iraq
Campaign Right to Water, Turkey
350Ankara, Turkey
Çoruh Conservation Union, Turkey
Life and Solidarity Travelers, Turkey
Green Resistence – Ecology and Life Newspaper, Turkey
Antalya Ecology Council, Turkey
Alakır Sister-/Brotherhood, Turkey
HDK Ecology Council, Turkey
Lebanon Eco Movement
Eco-Conscience, Tunisia
The Peoples’ Advocacy Foundation for Justice and Redress, South Africa
Rivers without Boundaries International Coalition), Asia
Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum
Environment Support Group, India
Inter-American Vigilance for the Defense and the Right to Water (Red VIDA), The Americas Chile Sustainable, Chile April Foundation (Fundacion Abril), Bolivia
Movement of Defence of Water, Land and Environment (MODATIMA), Chile
Movement of Dam Affected People (MAB), Brazil
Friends of Earth, El Salvador
European Water Movement
Earth Thrive, Balkan
Odbranimo reke Stare planine, Serbia
Ekologistak Martxan, Basque Country
Network for a New Water Culture (XNCA), Catalonia
Ecologists in Action, Spain
World Heritage Watch (WHW), Germany
Platform in Defence of the Ebro River, Catalonia
UPP – Un Ponte Per, Italy
CounterCurrent, Germany
The Corner House, UK
Friends of Earth, France
Italian Forum of Water Movements
Riverwatch – Society for the Protection of Rivers, Austria
Animals Are Sentient Beings, USA
Coordination EAU Île-de-France, France
Plan C, UK
Shoal Collective, UK
Hasankeyf Initiative Berlin, Germany
Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, USA
Coordination EAU bien commun, France
Urgewald, Germany
Idle No More SF Bay, California/USA
EcoMujer, Germany
Solidarity Economy Association, UK
FreshWater Accountability Project, USA
Plataforma Ciudadana Zaragoza sin Fractura, Spain
Association of Popular Culture Alborada, Gallur/Spain
International Rivers, USA
Solifonds, Switzerland
Centre for Research on Multinational Corporations (SOMO), Netherlands
Ecological Center DRONT, Russia
Ecosocialist Horizons, USA
Socio-Ecological Union International, Russia
Biodiversity Conservation Center, Russia
Earth Law Centre, USA
Green Anti-Capitalist Front, UK
Cambridge Social Ecology Group, UK
More information:
http://www.hasankeyfgirisimi.net
Contact:
Email: hasankeyfgirisimi@gmail.com
Twitter: @hasankeyfdicle
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/hasankeyfyasatmagirisimi
https://www.savethetigris.org/its-not-t ... Nr-cekcfpI
International Urgent Call to Turkish Government and International Public
For 12.000 years, Hasankeyf in the Southeast of Turkey has been a site of uninterrupted human settlement. With the labour of dozen of cultures this outstanding universal site has been created on the banks of the Tigris River and adjacent small valleys and hills.
Recent excavations show that Hasankeyf lays atop of a deep, uncovered cultural heritage. Independent researchers state that Hasankeyf and the surrounding Tigris Valley are as important historically as Ephesus, Troy and Cappadocia and fulfill 9 out of the 10 UNESCO criteria for a World Heritage Site. It is assumed that Hasankeyf is the twin of Göbeklitepe, a sanctuary site 225 km to the west with a similar age, which led to global new conclusions on history’s first human settlement.
While the Turkish government achieved the inclusion of Göbeklitepe in UNESCO’s World Heritage List, Hasankeyf and the surrounding Tigris Valley is planned to be flooded by the Ilisu Dam and Hydroelectric Power Plant Project, which is almost fully constructed. In recent statements the Turkish government announced that it will start the filling of the Ilisu dam reservoir on June 10, 2019. Officials add that in October 2019 Hasankeyf town would be affected by raising water level.
The Ilisu Project was and is a completely wrong and destructive investment. That is why since the beginning the project it was strongly opposed not only at the local level in Turkey, but also in Iraq, Syria and globally.
Contrary to official claims, the dam would have no socio-economic or any other benefit for the majority of society in the affected region and up to 80.000 people would loose their livelihoods. Apart from Hasankeyf, an important part of the not yet excavated cultural heritage in Upper Mesopotamia along the Tigris River would be flooded.
The biodiversity of the Tigris River ecosystem – still mainly natural – would be degraded significantly. The Ilisu Project would also gravely affect the downstream stretches of the Tigris, seriously jeopardizing the water supply of major Iraqi towns, and Iraqi agriculture would be put under serious risk. In particular the UNESCO site of Mesopotamian Marshes in southern Iraq would be threatened with drying out due to reduced downstream flows.
In the last few years, the government’s program of so-called “monument relocation and consolidation of rocks” has seriously damaged the cultural heritage in Hasankeyf. But there is still so much cultural heritage left to rescue. Despite the project near completion, we believe strongly that the cancellation of the Ilisu project would stimulate a process from which the broader local population, Turkey and Iraq would benefit directly, economically as well as socially and culturally.
We call upon on the Turkish government not to start the filling by the Ilisu Dam, neither in June nor later. Instead a new broad, participative and transparent discussion with all representatives of the local population on the future of the affected five provinces should be started.
Based on the common outcomes of these participatory discussions, policies on the future of the Tigris Valley and the surrounding region should be developed and implemented with the agreement of all affected parties. Another condition should be the achievement of a mutual agreement with Iraq and Syria according to international law, which should guarantee sufficient water flows into the Mesopotamian Marshes and southern Iraq.
We call on all people and organizations all around the world to support our demands and to launch similar calls on the Turkish government!
A call by:
Initiative to Keep Hasankeyf Alive, Turkey
Save the Tigris Campaign, Iraq
Mountain Watch, Iran
Humat Dijlah, Iraq
Make Rojava Green Again, Rojava/Syria
Mesopotamia Ecology Movement, Turkey
Waterkeeper Iraq, Kurdistan Region of Iraq
Hasankeyf Matters, Turkey
Iraqi Civil Society Solidarity Initiative (ICSSI), Iraq
Ecology Union, Turkey
Munzur Environmental Association, Turkey
Iraqi Social Forum, Iraq
Green Rage Ecology Collective, Turkey
Güzel Zağros’u Destekleme Halk Kampanyası, İran
TMMOB (Union of Chambers of Engineers and Architects) Batman Provincial Coordination Council, Turkey
Civil Development Organization (CDO), Kurdistan Region of Iraq
Campaign Right to Water, Turkey
350Ankara, Turkey
Çoruh Conservation Union, Turkey
Life and Solidarity Travelers, Turkey
Green Resistence – Ecology and Life Newspaper, Turkey
Antalya Ecology Council, Turkey
Alakır Sister-/Brotherhood, Turkey
HDK Ecology Council, Turkey
Lebanon Eco Movement
Eco-Conscience, Tunisia
The Peoples’ Advocacy Foundation for Justice and Redress, South Africa
Rivers without Boundaries International Coalition), Asia
Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum
Environment Support Group, India
Inter-American Vigilance for the Defense and the Right to Water (Red VIDA), The Americas Chile Sustainable, Chile April Foundation (Fundacion Abril), Bolivia
Movement of Defence of Water, Land and Environment (MODATIMA), Chile
Movement of Dam Affected People (MAB), Brazil
Friends of Earth, El Salvador
European Water Movement
Earth Thrive, Balkan
Odbranimo reke Stare planine, Serbia
Ekologistak Martxan, Basque Country
Network for a New Water Culture (XNCA), Catalonia
Ecologists in Action, Spain
World Heritage Watch (WHW), Germany
Platform in Defence of the Ebro River, Catalonia
UPP – Un Ponte Per, Italy
CounterCurrent, Germany
The Corner House, UK
Friends of Earth, France
Italian Forum of Water Movements
Riverwatch – Society for the Protection of Rivers, Austria
Animals Are Sentient Beings, USA
Coordination EAU Île-de-France, France
Plan C, UK
Shoal Collective, UK
Hasankeyf Initiative Berlin, Germany
Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, USA
Coordination EAU bien commun, France
Urgewald, Germany
Idle No More SF Bay, California/USA
EcoMujer, Germany
Solidarity Economy Association, UK
FreshWater Accountability Project, USA
Plataforma Ciudadana Zaragoza sin Fractura, Spain
Association of Popular Culture Alborada, Gallur/Spain
International Rivers, USA
Solifonds, Switzerland
Centre for Research on Multinational Corporations (SOMO), Netherlands
Ecological Center DRONT, Russia
Ecosocialist Horizons, USA
Socio-Ecological Union International, Russia
Biodiversity Conservation Center, Russia
Earth Law Centre, USA
Green Anti-Capitalist Front, UK
Cambridge Social Ecology Group, UK
More information:
http://www.hasankeyfgirisimi.net
Contact:
Email: hasankeyfgirisimi@gmail.com
Twitter: @hasankeyfdicle
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/hasankeyfyasatmagirisimi
https://www.savethetigris.org/its-not-t ... Nr-cekcfpI
Good Thoughts Good Words Good Deeds
-
Anthea - Shaswar
- Donator
- Posts: 28437
- Images: 1155
- Joined: Thu Oct 18, 2012 2:13 pm
- Location: Sitting in front of computer
- Highscores: 3
- Arcade winning challenges: 6
- Has thanked: 6019 times
- Been thanked: 729 times
- Nationality: Kurd by heart
Re: Most important part of Kurdistan is 12,000 yr old Hasank
Author: Anthea » Sun May 19, 2019 8:25 pm
Hydropower’s Dangerous Bid
To Re-cast Itself As 'Green'
This month, the 3,000 inhabitants of Hasankeyf, Turkey, await rising floodwaters that will permanently drown their 12,000-year-old village. With it will go a unique ecosystem and countless cultural artifacts from millennia of human history
Hundreds of miles downstream, the marshes thought to be the Bible’s Garden of Eden struggle with the effects of debilitating, recurring drought. The rich tapestry of plants and species that supported one of humanity’s earliest civilizations are now on life support, bolstered by recent rains but facing a deeply uncertain future.
One culprit is responsible for both the flood and the drought, and it stands in the Tigris River between them: the Ilisu Dam.
But at the World Hydropower Congress, held this week in Paris, the hydropower industry, which is driving freshwater extinctions and contributing to climate change, is on a desperate quest to erase its rapacious past and recast itself as a green energy source for the future.
It would be laughable if it didn’t actually run the risk of succeeding. After all, the industry enjoys a great deal of social license from its relationship with Congress co-host, UNESCO; the very agency responsible for designating World Heritage Sites.
The knocks against hydropower are well-documented. Dams have been a leading contributor to the massive freshwater extinction that has decimated fish populations in the last three decades.
With a new study finding that upwards of a million plant and animal species face extinction, no responsible government should advance an energy technology that will only accelerate the process. (This is not to mention how dams are affecting the tens of millions that rely upon freshwater fisheries and ecosystems for their livelihoods and sustenance.)
Hydropower dams have also driven massive human rights abuses, including the displacement of upwards of 100 million people who lost their homes to dams in the 20th century. Indigenous peoples in particular have borne the brunt of these impacts and been denied their right to free, prior, and informed consent.
The violence has not subsided: As recently as April, at least three massacres occurred in Brazil near dam sites, one of which took the life of a leading anti-dam activist. That’s no accident.
But the hydropower industry is trying to conceal what is perhaps the most troubling secret from potential investors seeking to address climate change: Hydropower’s climate impact.
Studies have shown that dam reservoirs are a significant source of the world’s most potent greenhouse gas: methane. Hydroelectric dams emit a billion tons of greenhouse gases a year, representing fully 1.3% of human-caused global emissions. By way of comparison, the global aviation industry produces about 2% of all human-caused emissions. That’s a sizeable carbon footprint.
The hydropower industry, however, is a master of reinvention. The Climate Bonds Initiative, an international organization working to mobilize the $100 trillion bond market for climate change solutions, writes on its website that hydropower “will play an important role in the transition to a low carbon economy.”
It’s a little like saying the internal combustion engine is a winning new green technology that will combat climate change. It’s not just ironic that the World Hydropower Congress is making this fraudulent claim in the city where the Paris Climate Accord was signed in 2016; it borders on criminal.
But the hydropower industry is banking on the ignorance of their target audience. The danger is that the publicity gamble pays off, and governments and investors will sink even more money into a technology that disrupts the carbon cycle, starves existing carbon sinks, and contributes methane to our already-overheated climate. Meanwhile, the world will keep heating up.
Given the severity of the climate crisis we face, we cannot throw money or time at false solutions. The IPCC says we have just ten years to turn the ship around and stave off the worst effects of climate change and massive extinctions.
We must make the transition to a low-carbon energy future swiftly. But we must also do it safely – without ignoring science and without furthering the extinctions and warming that are already disrupting life on this planet. Hydropower does not deserve one iota of climate funds, which must be routed to truly clean energy solutions so we can make the necessary transition to a low-carbon economy.
The route is clear – wind and solar are economical and fast to build and deploy. They are also scalable. But the hydropower industry will do everything it can to greenwash itself. It’s fighting for its bottom line – not the health of the planet or the people on it. It’s the job of political leaders, investors, financiers, the Climate Bonds Initiative and others to keep their eyes open and not fall for the greenwashing. And, at minimum, the industry can commit--at an event co-hosted by UNESCO--to avoiding projects that threaten World Heritage Sites.
Michael Simon is Executive Director of International Rivers
https://www.ibtimes.com/hydropowers-dan ... en-2793069
To Re-cast Itself As 'Green'
This month, the 3,000 inhabitants of Hasankeyf, Turkey, await rising floodwaters that will permanently drown their 12,000-year-old village. With it will go a unique ecosystem and countless cultural artifacts from millennia of human history
Hundreds of miles downstream, the marshes thought to be the Bible’s Garden of Eden struggle with the effects of debilitating, recurring drought. The rich tapestry of plants and species that supported one of humanity’s earliest civilizations are now on life support, bolstered by recent rains but facing a deeply uncertain future.
One culprit is responsible for both the flood and the drought, and it stands in the Tigris River between them: the Ilisu Dam.
But at the World Hydropower Congress, held this week in Paris, the hydropower industry, which is driving freshwater extinctions and contributing to climate change, is on a desperate quest to erase its rapacious past and recast itself as a green energy source for the future.
It would be laughable if it didn’t actually run the risk of succeeding. After all, the industry enjoys a great deal of social license from its relationship with Congress co-host, UNESCO; the very agency responsible for designating World Heritage Sites.
The knocks against hydropower are well-documented. Dams have been a leading contributor to the massive freshwater extinction that has decimated fish populations in the last three decades.
With a new study finding that upwards of a million plant and animal species face extinction, no responsible government should advance an energy technology that will only accelerate the process. (This is not to mention how dams are affecting the tens of millions that rely upon freshwater fisheries and ecosystems for their livelihoods and sustenance.)
Hydropower dams have also driven massive human rights abuses, including the displacement of upwards of 100 million people who lost their homes to dams in the 20th century. Indigenous peoples in particular have borne the brunt of these impacts and been denied their right to free, prior, and informed consent.
The violence has not subsided: As recently as April, at least three massacres occurred in Brazil near dam sites, one of which took the life of a leading anti-dam activist. That’s no accident.
But the hydropower industry is trying to conceal what is perhaps the most troubling secret from potential investors seeking to address climate change: Hydropower’s climate impact.
Studies have shown that dam reservoirs are a significant source of the world’s most potent greenhouse gas: methane. Hydroelectric dams emit a billion tons of greenhouse gases a year, representing fully 1.3% of human-caused global emissions. By way of comparison, the global aviation industry produces about 2% of all human-caused emissions. That’s a sizeable carbon footprint.
The hydropower industry, however, is a master of reinvention. The Climate Bonds Initiative, an international organization working to mobilize the $100 trillion bond market for climate change solutions, writes on its website that hydropower “will play an important role in the transition to a low carbon economy.”
It’s a little like saying the internal combustion engine is a winning new green technology that will combat climate change. It’s not just ironic that the World Hydropower Congress is making this fraudulent claim in the city where the Paris Climate Accord was signed in 2016; it borders on criminal.
But the hydropower industry is banking on the ignorance of their target audience. The danger is that the publicity gamble pays off, and governments and investors will sink even more money into a technology that disrupts the carbon cycle, starves existing carbon sinks, and contributes methane to our already-overheated climate. Meanwhile, the world will keep heating up.
Given the severity of the climate crisis we face, we cannot throw money or time at false solutions. The IPCC says we have just ten years to turn the ship around and stave off the worst effects of climate change and massive extinctions.
We must make the transition to a low-carbon energy future swiftly. But we must also do it safely – without ignoring science and without furthering the extinctions and warming that are already disrupting life on this planet. Hydropower does not deserve one iota of climate funds, which must be routed to truly clean energy solutions so we can make the necessary transition to a low-carbon economy.
The route is clear – wind and solar are economical and fast to build and deploy. They are also scalable. But the hydropower industry will do everything it can to greenwash itself. It’s fighting for its bottom line – not the health of the planet or the people on it. It’s the job of political leaders, investors, financiers, the Climate Bonds Initiative and others to keep their eyes open and not fall for the greenwashing. And, at minimum, the industry can commit--at an event co-hosted by UNESCO--to avoiding projects that threaten World Heritage Sites.
Michael Simon is Executive Director of International Rivers
https://www.ibtimes.com/hydropowers-dan ... en-2793069
Good Thoughts Good Words Good Deeds
-
Anthea - Shaswar
- Donator
- Posts: 28437
- Images: 1155
- Joined: Thu Oct 18, 2012 2:13 pm
- Location: Sitting in front of computer
- Highscores: 3
- Arcade winning challenges: 6
- Has thanked: 6019 times
- Been thanked: 729 times
- Nationality: Kurd by heart
Re: Hasankeyf 12,000 times more important than Ocalan
Author: Anthea » Thu May 23, 2019 10:51 pm
12,000-year-old Kurdish town about to be submerged forever
Hasankeyf will soon be only a memory
From her front door, Fatima Salkan has a sweeping view of the fruit trees, historic ruins and tidy stone compounds that run along this stretch of the Tigris River in southeastern Turkey. She tries her best not to look off in the distance, to the right. The town on the horizon, still under construction, is where she will move when the valley is flooded by a downstream hydropower dam.
“Do you see all these old places?” she asks in Kurdish. “We are the owner, but today we are homeless.”
High above, an old Roman fortress crowns a limestone cliff, which is dotted with the caves where her parents and grandparents once lived. The valley below, emerald-green after a recent rain, is studded with yellow wild mustard flowers and bright red poppies. At 45, Hasankeyf is the only home Salkan has ever known. A future severed from it feels like no future at all.
The last generation of Hasankeyf
Archeologists believe that Hasankeyf’s history began 12,000 years ago, based on Neolithic remains found in the surrounding caves. (Thousands of caves remained inhabited until 1972.) Over the centuries, as the Tigris River became an important Silk Road thoroughfare, Hasankeyf passed through the hands of the Assyrian, Ayyubid and Ottoman Empires. In the second century, it served as a lookout for the eastern edge of the Roman Empire. In the 13th century, it was conquered by the Mongols.
Now, about 25 miles downstream, the Ilisu Dam is complete. The 6,000-foot-long, 1.2 billion euro behemoth is poised to generate 3,800-gigawatt hours of electricity annually, according to the Turkish government. When the project becomes operational — in June, officials claim — it will flood more than 115 square miles of an agricultural valley, submerging Hasankeyf and dozens of villages nearby. The very river that nourished the town for centuries will swallow it whole.
“With the Ilisu Dam, Turkey will gain great power,” Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan told a rally in a city near Hasankeyf in 2015. “This will be an important dam to satisfy our thirst.”
The Ilisu Dam is part of a network of projects known as the Southeastern Anatolia Project, or Guneydogu Anadolu Projesi (GAP) in Turkish, which the Turkish government hopes will generate electricity, irrigate and conserve water in the country’s lower-income southeast as climate change makes the region hotter and drier.
Environmentalists, however, came out firmly against the dam, voicing deep concern that the delicate ecosystem of the Tigris River basin — where some of the world’s earliest civilizations developed — will be disrupted forever. Downstream in Syria and Iraq, officials raised concerns that the dam would cut off part of their water supply, despite international agreements meant to regulate the flow of the Tigris. Turkey delayed filling the reservoir last year during a severe drought.
When Western investors pulled out of the project in 2008, the Turkish government charged on, deciding to come up with the funds themselves. A final, last-ditch effort to stop the dam with a lawsuit in the European Court of Human Rights was rejected this spring on the grounds that the protection of an individual’s cultural heritage is not a universal right.
A scant 2,500 residents remain in Hasankeyf, despite a sluggish tourism-based economy and a decades-long moratorium against building new homes and businesses during the construction of the dam. This past summer, the filling of Ilisu’s reservoir was delayed due to drought in Iraq — which helped to build hopes that Hasankeyf’s end could be postponed again. But strong rains this spring have forced the Tigris to swell above its normal levels, suggesting that if there ever was a time to fill it, it would be now.
Arguments against the dam do not phase Omer Guzel, who represents Hasankeyf as a member of the ruling AK party in Turkey’s parliament. Sitting in a restaurant in the part of town that will soon be underwater, Guzel sees opportunity. And a population that can adapt.
“I don’t think my people are being mistreated,” Guzel says, launching into a detailed description of plans for future tourism in the area.
A mile and a half away, above the reservoir’s future water line, are the rows of matching homes and newly planted parks of “New Hasankeyf.” Soon-to-be displaced residents were offered payment plans to resettle here, and some have already moved. Several of Hasankeyf’s historic monuments were moved across the river to New Hasankeyf, clustered into an open-air cultural museum.
When the waters come, Guzel, says, tour boats will be able to traverse the lake created by the dam, so visitors can see the old Byzantine fortress on top of the hill. Other Turkish cities have done the same, and he’s confident that tourists — and income — will continue to stream in.
The historic pieces that could not be moved, such as the ruins of Hasankeyf’s 12th century stone bridge, which couldn’t be moved, have been fortified with concrete in preparation to be submerged. Others, such as ongoing archeological digs, will flood where they sit.
‘If people protest, they are punished’
For those who remain in Hasankeyf, it’s often because there is still some money to be made.
Tour buses still roll across the town’s dusty two-lane bridge every morning. Hasankeyf’s impending doom has created a small bump of visitors, hoping to have a last glimpse of the iconic homes and café’s on stilts, seemingly hugging the hilltop or sitting in a defensive crouch above the river. As chatty tourists poke around the rug stores and souvenir kiosks of the historic bazaar, shopkeepers and kebab makers stand stone-faced at the scene unfolding.
“You came too late,” one young man said. “Journalists came, we had many conversations. And still, nothing happened.”
The Turkish government estimates that 15,000 people will have to be resettled from the valley when the waters come, though opponents of the dam believe the total number of displaced residents is closer to 50,000. Some, including Fatima Salkan, say they were paid below market rates for their homes, leaving their future uncertain.
Turkey's president confirmed these fears in a 2016 speech in which he likened opponents of the Ilisu Dam to members of the PKK, a militant Kurdish separatist group that is listed as a terrorist organization by the US and Turkey.
When the waters do come, everything that Salkan has known will be underwater. The home built by her father, all smooth white walls and a blue tiled roof. The shops owned by her neighbors. The tailors down the street. The leafy orchard nearby, which she has tended since she was a teenager.
It’s a short walk from Salkan’s home to her garden. She passes her primary school — now empty, its windows, broken and cracked.
When she ducks under the gate, she is surrounded by trees: figs, apricots, hazelnuts. Young grapevines climb a trellis on the north side. She planted this space with her mother and sisters after her father’s death. They would make tea and sit here until late at night, swapping stories in the grass.
“We wanted this place to be green,” she muses, sniffing the air. This is home.
Every year, she says, she plants a garden of vegetables in the center of the orchard. But this year, she knew she would be gone before the harvest. So the dirt is bare.
“Everyone has cut down their trees, but not me,” she says. “I couldn’t do it.”
Isn’t it difficult, she says — after all those years and all this work, to just pick up and leave?
Link to Article - Photos:
https://www.pri.org/stories/2019-05-22/ ... ed-forever
Hasankeyf will soon be only a memory
From her front door, Fatima Salkan has a sweeping view of the fruit trees, historic ruins and tidy stone compounds that run along this stretch of the Tigris River in southeastern Turkey. She tries her best not to look off in the distance, to the right. The town on the horizon, still under construction, is where she will move when the valley is flooded by a downstream hydropower dam.
“Do you see all these old places?” she asks in Kurdish. “We are the owner, but today we are homeless.”
High above, an old Roman fortress crowns a limestone cliff, which is dotted with the caves where her parents and grandparents once lived. The valley below, emerald-green after a recent rain, is studded with yellow wild mustard flowers and bright red poppies. At 45, Hasankeyf is the only home Salkan has ever known. A future severed from it feels like no future at all.
The last generation of Hasankeyf
Archeologists believe that Hasankeyf’s history began 12,000 years ago, based on Neolithic remains found in the surrounding caves. (Thousands of caves remained inhabited until 1972.) Over the centuries, as the Tigris River became an important Silk Road thoroughfare, Hasankeyf passed through the hands of the Assyrian, Ayyubid and Ottoman Empires. In the second century, it served as a lookout for the eastern edge of the Roman Empire. In the 13th century, it was conquered by the Mongols.
Now, about 25 miles downstream, the Ilisu Dam is complete. The 6,000-foot-long, 1.2 billion euro behemoth is poised to generate 3,800-gigawatt hours of electricity annually, according to the Turkish government. When the project becomes operational — in June, officials claim — it will flood more than 115 square miles of an agricultural valley, submerging Hasankeyf and dozens of villages nearby. The very river that nourished the town for centuries will swallow it whole.
“With the Ilisu Dam, Turkey will gain great power,” Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan told a rally in a city near Hasankeyf in 2015. “This will be an important dam to satisfy our thirst.”
The Ilisu Dam is part of a network of projects known as the Southeastern Anatolia Project, or Guneydogu Anadolu Projesi (GAP) in Turkish, which the Turkish government hopes will generate electricity, irrigate and conserve water in the country’s lower-income southeast as climate change makes the region hotter and drier.
Environmentalists, however, came out firmly against the dam, voicing deep concern that the delicate ecosystem of the Tigris River basin — where some of the world’s earliest civilizations developed — will be disrupted forever. Downstream in Syria and Iraq, officials raised concerns that the dam would cut off part of their water supply, despite international agreements meant to regulate the flow of the Tigris. Turkey delayed filling the reservoir last year during a severe drought.
When Western investors pulled out of the project in 2008, the Turkish government charged on, deciding to come up with the funds themselves. A final, last-ditch effort to stop the dam with a lawsuit in the European Court of Human Rights was rejected this spring on the grounds that the protection of an individual’s cultural heritage is not a universal right.
A scant 2,500 residents remain in Hasankeyf, despite a sluggish tourism-based economy and a decades-long moratorium against building new homes and businesses during the construction of the dam. This past summer, the filling of Ilisu’s reservoir was delayed due to drought in Iraq — which helped to build hopes that Hasankeyf’s end could be postponed again. But strong rains this spring have forced the Tigris to swell above its normal levels, suggesting that if there ever was a time to fill it, it would be now.
Arguments against the dam do not phase Omer Guzel, who represents Hasankeyf as a member of the ruling AK party in Turkey’s parliament. Sitting in a restaurant in the part of town that will soon be underwater, Guzel sees opportunity. And a population that can adapt.
“I don’t think my people are being mistreated,” Guzel says, launching into a detailed description of plans for future tourism in the area.
A mile and a half away, above the reservoir’s future water line, are the rows of matching homes and newly planted parks of “New Hasankeyf.” Soon-to-be displaced residents were offered payment plans to resettle here, and some have already moved. Several of Hasankeyf’s historic monuments were moved across the river to New Hasankeyf, clustered into an open-air cultural museum.
When the waters come, Guzel, says, tour boats will be able to traverse the lake created by the dam, so visitors can see the old Byzantine fortress on top of the hill. Other Turkish cities have done the same, and he’s confident that tourists — and income — will continue to stream in.
- “We were born and raised here, so of course moving somewhere else creates a bit of sadness. ... But this is the decision that has been made, and we have to respect it.”
The historic pieces that could not be moved, such as the ruins of Hasankeyf’s 12th century stone bridge, which couldn’t be moved, have been fortified with concrete in preparation to be submerged. Others, such as ongoing archeological digs, will flood where they sit.
‘If people protest, they are punished’
For those who remain in Hasankeyf, it’s often because there is still some money to be made.
Tour buses still roll across the town’s dusty two-lane bridge every morning. Hasankeyf’s impending doom has created a small bump of visitors, hoping to have a last glimpse of the iconic homes and café’s on stilts, seemingly hugging the hilltop or sitting in a defensive crouch above the river. As chatty tourists poke around the rug stores and souvenir kiosks of the historic bazaar, shopkeepers and kebab makers stand stone-faced at the scene unfolding.
“You came too late,” one young man said. “Journalists came, we had many conversations. And still, nothing happened.”
The Turkish government estimates that 15,000 people will have to be resettled from the valley when the waters come, though opponents of the dam believe the total number of displaced residents is closer to 50,000. Some, including Fatima Salkan, say they were paid below market rates for their homes, leaving their future uncertain.
- “We tried to protest but we could not, because they’ll call you a terrorist. ... If people protest, they are punished.”
Turkey's president confirmed these fears in a 2016 speech in which he likened opponents of the Ilisu Dam to members of the PKK, a militant Kurdish separatist group that is listed as a terrorist organization by the US and Turkey.
When the waters do come, everything that Salkan has known will be underwater. The home built by her father, all smooth white walls and a blue tiled roof. The shops owned by her neighbors. The tailors down the street. The leafy orchard nearby, which she has tended since she was a teenager.
It’s a short walk from Salkan’s home to her garden. She passes her primary school — now empty, its windows, broken and cracked.
When she ducks under the gate, she is surrounded by trees: figs, apricots, hazelnuts. Young grapevines climb a trellis on the north side. She planted this space with her mother and sisters after her father’s death. They would make tea and sit here until late at night, swapping stories in the grass.
“We wanted this place to be green,” she muses, sniffing the air. This is home.
Every year, she says, she plants a garden of vegetables in the center of the orchard. But this year, she knew she would be gone before the harvest. So the dirt is bare.
“Everyone has cut down their trees, but not me,” she says. “I couldn’t do it.”
Isn’t it difficult, she says — after all those years and all this work, to just pick up and leave?
Link to Article - Photos:
https://www.pri.org/stories/2019-05-22/ ... ed-forever
Good Thoughts Good Words Good Deeds
-
Anthea - Shaswar
- Donator
- Posts: 28437
- Images: 1155
- Joined: Thu Oct 18, 2012 2:13 pm
- Location: Sitting in front of computer
- Highscores: 3
- Arcade winning challenges: 6
- Has thanked: 6019 times
- Been thanked: 729 times
- Nationality: Kurd by heart
Re: Hasankeyf 12,000 times more important than Ocalan
Author: Anthea » Thu May 30, 2019 1:13 am
Kurds need publicity - Hasankeyf needs publicity
Believe it or not - the vast majority of people throughout the word no nothing about Kurds - even though thousands of Kurds fought to save the Middle East from ISIS
Publicising Ocalan is foolish and even illegal in many countries
Publicising Hasankeyf could save the 12,000 year old city, the beautiful valley with it's own ecosystem and unique flora and fauna
Publicising Hasankeyf will also publicise the plight of the Kurds
Publicising Hasankeyf is fairly easy, I know because when the UK was involved in the funding many years ago, I was part of the Save Hasankeyf Campaign
Hasankeyf should be on the TV and in the media, it is the oldest and most important area in Kurdistan
Believe it or not - the vast majority of people throughout the word no nothing about Kurds - even though thousands of Kurds fought to save the Middle East from ISIS
Publicising Ocalan is foolish and even illegal in many countries
Publicising Hasankeyf could save the 12,000 year old city, the beautiful valley with it's own ecosystem and unique flora and fauna
Publicising Hasankeyf will also publicise the plight of the Kurds
Publicising Hasankeyf is fairly easy, I know because when the UK was involved in the funding many years ago, I was part of the Save Hasankeyf Campaign
Hasankeyf should be on the TV and in the media, it is the oldest and most important area in Kurdistan
Good Thoughts Good Words Good Deeds
-
Anthea - Shaswar
- Donator
- Posts: 28437
- Images: 1155
- Joined: Thu Oct 18, 2012 2:13 pm
- Location: Sitting in front of computer
- Highscores: 3
- Arcade winning challenges: 6
- Has thanked: 6019 times
- Been thanked: 729 times
- Nationality: Kurd by heart
Re: Saving Hasankeyf MUST be priority of ALL Kurds everywher
Author: Anthea » Sun Jun 02, 2019 7:49 pm
Call for global action for ancient Hasankeyf on 7 and 8 June
The vile Turkish government announced that on 10th June 2019 it will start filling the Ilisu Dam reservoir
Please click to enlarge:
The statement reads as follows;
“On 15 May, 2019 more than 100 civil organizations from Turkey, Iraq, Iran and other countries of the world released a statement calling on the Turkish government to stop the destructive Ilisu project and initiate a new process in the Tigris Valley.
They also called on the civil public to act against the flooding of the Tigris Valley, which would also cause grave damage to downstream regions in Syria, and particularly in Iraq. If completed, the Ilisu Dam will be an incomparable social, cultural and ecological disaster for a big part of Mesopotamia!
On June 7 and 8 actions are planned in dozens of cities in Turkey and across Mesopotamia
You are invited to organize a public action in your city or country against the Ilisu Project in solidarity. The demands could target the Turkish government, the Austrian company Andritz, which is leading the Ilisu Project consortium, and request the Iraqi government to urgently act against the impending desertification of its region, a matter on which it is strangely silent.
In comparison to former Hasankeyf action days, this time we plan to broaden the variety of action types, including particularly artists. In around one week we will inform you with proposals.
Do not hesitate to contact us or inform us about your planned action.
Hasankeyf is our culture and the Tigris our nature!”
https://anfenglishmobile.com/news/call- ... june-35356
http://www.hasankeyfgirisimi.net/?p=844 ... I0eHCFXxxw
The vile Turkish government announced that on 10th June 2019 it will start filling the Ilisu Dam reservoir
Please click to enlarge:
The statement reads as follows;
“On 15 May, 2019 more than 100 civil organizations from Turkey, Iraq, Iran and other countries of the world released a statement calling on the Turkish government to stop the destructive Ilisu project and initiate a new process in the Tigris Valley.
They also called on the civil public to act against the flooding of the Tigris Valley, which would also cause grave damage to downstream regions in Syria, and particularly in Iraq. If completed, the Ilisu Dam will be an incomparable social, cultural and ecological disaster for a big part of Mesopotamia!
On June 7 and 8 actions are planned in dozens of cities in Turkey and across Mesopotamia
You are invited to organize a public action in your city or country against the Ilisu Project in solidarity. The demands could target the Turkish government, the Austrian company Andritz, which is leading the Ilisu Project consortium, and request the Iraqi government to urgently act against the impending desertification of its region, a matter on which it is strangely silent.
In comparison to former Hasankeyf action days, this time we plan to broaden the variety of action types, including particularly artists. In around one week we will inform you with proposals.
Do not hesitate to contact us or inform us about your planned action.
Hasankeyf is our culture and the Tigris our nature!”
https://anfenglishmobile.com/news/call- ... june-35356
http://www.hasankeyfgirisimi.net/?p=844 ... I0eHCFXxxw
Good Thoughts Good Words Good Deeds
-
Anthea - Shaswar
- Donator
- Posts: 28437
- Images: 1155
- Joined: Thu Oct 18, 2012 2:13 pm
- Location: Sitting in front of computer
- Highscores: 3
- Arcade winning challenges: 6
- Has thanked: 6019 times
- Been thanked: 729 times
- Nationality: Kurd by heart
Re: Call for global action for ancient Hasankeyf on 7 and 8
Author: Anthea » Mon Jun 03, 2019 1:54 am
Address: Hasankeyf’i Yaşatma Girişimi, BATMAN
E-mail: hasankeyfgirisimi@gmail.com
facebook: /www.facebook.com/hasankeyfyasatmagirisimi/
Useful links:
Water Right Campaign (Istanbul based and initiated also by the Initiative to Keep Hasankeyf Alive)
Mesopotamian Ecology Movement (Network of most ecological movements in the Kurdis Southeast of Turkey)
Ekopotamya Network (initiated also by the Initiative to Keep Hasankeyf Alive)
Save the Tigris River and Iraqi Marhes Campaign (initiated also by the Initiative to Keep Hasankeyf Alive)
Stop Ilısu (European Ilisu Campaign)
Ege Çevre Platformu (Environmental Plattform of the Aegean Region of Turkey)
ÇEHAV – Lawyers for Environmental en Ecology Movements
International Rivers
E-mail: hasankeyfgirisimi@gmail.com
facebook: /www.facebook.com/hasankeyfyasatmagirisimi/
Useful links:
Water Right Campaign (Istanbul based and initiated also by the Initiative to Keep Hasankeyf Alive)
Mesopotamian Ecology Movement (Network of most ecological movements in the Kurdis Southeast of Turkey)
Ekopotamya Network (initiated also by the Initiative to Keep Hasankeyf Alive)
Save the Tigris River and Iraqi Marhes Campaign (initiated also by the Initiative to Keep Hasankeyf Alive)
Stop Ilısu (European Ilisu Campaign)
Ege Çevre Platformu (Environmental Plattform of the Aegean Region of Turkey)
ÇEHAV – Lawyers for Environmental en Ecology Movements
International Rivers
Good Thoughts Good Words Good Deeds
-
Anthea - Shaswar
- Donator
- Posts: 28437
- Images: 1155
- Joined: Thu Oct 18, 2012 2:13 pm
- Location: Sitting in front of computer
- Highscores: 3
- Arcade winning challenges: 6
- Has thanked: 6019 times
- Been thanked: 729 times
- Nationality: Kurd by heart
Re: Call for global action for ancient Hasankeyf on 7 and 8
Author: Anthea » Tue Jun 04, 2019 1:46 am
International Urgent Call for Hasankeyf:
It is Not Too Late to Save it!
After the government has announced that it will start the filling of Ilısu Dam reservoir in June 2019, 75 organizations from Turkey, Iraq and the world have released a statement entitled "International Urgent Call to Turkish Government and International Public" upon the call of Initiative to Keep Hasankeyf Alive and Mesopotamia Ecology Movement
Stating that "It is not too late to save Hasankeyf and Tigris River! No filling of the Ilısu Dam Reservoir!", the statement has indicated, "For 12.000 years, Hasankeyf in the Southeast of Turkey has been a site of uninterrupted human settlement." The statement continues as follows:
'A deep, uncovered cultural heritage'
"With the labour of dozens of cultures, this outstanding universal site has been created on the banks of the Tigris River and adjacent small valleys and hills. Recent excavations have shown that Hasankeyf lays atop of a deep, uncovered cultural heritage.
"Independent researchers state that Hasankeyf and the surrounding Tigris Valley are as important historically as Ephesus, Troy and Cappadocia and fulfill 9 out of the 10 UNESCO criteria for a World Heritage Site.
"It is assumed that Hasankeyf is the twin of Göbeklitepe, a sanctuary site 225 km to the west with a similar age, which led to global new conclusions on history's first human settlement.
'A completely wrong and destructive investment'
"While the Turkish government achieved the inclusion of Göbeklitepe in UNESCO's World Heritage List, Hasankeyf and the surrounding Tigris Valley is planned to be flooded by the Ilisu Dam and Hydroelectric Power Plant Project, which is almost fully constructed.
"In recent statements the Turkish government announced that it will start the filling of the Ilisu dam reservoir on June 10, 2019. Officials add that in October 2019 Hasankeyf town would be affected by raising water level.
The Ilisu Project was and is a completely wrong and destructive investment. That is why since the beginning the project it was strongly opposed not only at the local level in Turkey, but also in Iraq, Syria and globally.
"Contrary to official claims, the dam would have no socio-economic or any other benefit for the majority of society in the affected region and up to 80.000 people would lose their livelihoods.
"Apart from Hasankeyf, an important part of the not yet excavated cultural heritage in Upper Mesopotamia along the Tigris River would be flooded. The biodiversity of the Tigris River ecosystem – still mainly natural – would be degraded significantly.
'Mesopotamian Marshes will be threatened'
"The Ilisu Project would also gravely affect the downstream stretches of the Tigris, seriously jeopardizing the water supply of major Iraqi towns, and Iraqi agriculture would be put under serious risk.
"In particular, the UNESCO site of Mesopotamian Marshes in southern Iraq would be threatened with drying out due to reduced downstream flows
"In last years, government's program of so-called 'monument relocation and consolidation of rocks' seriously damaged cultural heritage in Hasankeyf. But, there is still so much cultural heritage left to rescue.
"Despite the project near completion, we believe strongly that the cancellation of the Ilisu project would stimulate a process from which the broader local population, Turkey and Iraq would benefit directly, economically as well as socially and culturally.
'We call for a participative and transparent discussion'
"We call upon on the Turkish government not to start the filling by the Ilisu Dam, neither in June nor later. Instead a new broad, participative and transparent discussion with all representatives of the local population on the future of the affected five provinces should be started.
"Based on the common outcomes of these participatory discussions, policies on the future of the Tigris Valley and the surrounding region should be developed and implemented with agreement of all affected parties.
"Another condition should be the achievement of a mutual agreement with Iraq and Syria according to international law, which should guarantee sufficient water flows into the Mesopotamian Marshes and southern Iraq
"We call on all people and organizations all around the world to support our demands and to launch similar calls on the Turkish government!" (PT/SD)
https://bianet.org/english/environment/ ... to-save-it
It is Not Too Late to Save it!
After the government has announced that it will start the filling of Ilısu Dam reservoir in June 2019, 75 organizations from Turkey, Iraq and the world have released a statement entitled "International Urgent Call to Turkish Government and International Public" upon the call of Initiative to Keep Hasankeyf Alive and Mesopotamia Ecology Movement
Stating that "It is not too late to save Hasankeyf and Tigris River! No filling of the Ilısu Dam Reservoir!", the statement has indicated, "For 12.000 years, Hasankeyf in the Southeast of Turkey has been a site of uninterrupted human settlement." The statement continues as follows:
'A deep, uncovered cultural heritage'
"With the labour of dozens of cultures, this outstanding universal site has been created on the banks of the Tigris River and adjacent small valleys and hills. Recent excavations have shown that Hasankeyf lays atop of a deep, uncovered cultural heritage.
"Independent researchers state that Hasankeyf and the surrounding Tigris Valley are as important historically as Ephesus, Troy and Cappadocia and fulfill 9 out of the 10 UNESCO criteria for a World Heritage Site.
"It is assumed that Hasankeyf is the twin of Göbeklitepe, a sanctuary site 225 km to the west with a similar age, which led to global new conclusions on history's first human settlement.
'A completely wrong and destructive investment'
"While the Turkish government achieved the inclusion of Göbeklitepe in UNESCO's World Heritage List, Hasankeyf and the surrounding Tigris Valley is planned to be flooded by the Ilisu Dam and Hydroelectric Power Plant Project, which is almost fully constructed.
"In recent statements the Turkish government announced that it will start the filling of the Ilisu dam reservoir on June 10, 2019. Officials add that in October 2019 Hasankeyf town would be affected by raising water level.
The Ilisu Project was and is a completely wrong and destructive investment. That is why since the beginning the project it was strongly opposed not only at the local level in Turkey, but also in Iraq, Syria and globally.
"Contrary to official claims, the dam would have no socio-economic or any other benefit for the majority of society in the affected region and up to 80.000 people would lose their livelihoods.
"Apart from Hasankeyf, an important part of the not yet excavated cultural heritage in Upper Mesopotamia along the Tigris River would be flooded. The biodiversity of the Tigris River ecosystem – still mainly natural – would be degraded significantly.
'Mesopotamian Marshes will be threatened'
"The Ilisu Project would also gravely affect the downstream stretches of the Tigris, seriously jeopardizing the water supply of major Iraqi towns, and Iraqi agriculture would be put under serious risk.
"In particular, the UNESCO site of Mesopotamian Marshes in southern Iraq would be threatened with drying out due to reduced downstream flows
"In last years, government's program of so-called 'monument relocation and consolidation of rocks' seriously damaged cultural heritage in Hasankeyf. But, there is still so much cultural heritage left to rescue.
"Despite the project near completion, we believe strongly that the cancellation of the Ilisu project would stimulate a process from which the broader local population, Turkey and Iraq would benefit directly, economically as well as socially and culturally.
'We call for a participative and transparent discussion'
"We call upon on the Turkish government not to start the filling by the Ilisu Dam, neither in June nor later. Instead a new broad, participative and transparent discussion with all representatives of the local population on the future of the affected five provinces should be started.
"Based on the common outcomes of these participatory discussions, policies on the future of the Tigris Valley and the surrounding region should be developed and implemented with agreement of all affected parties.
"Another condition should be the achievement of a mutual agreement with Iraq and Syria according to international law, which should guarantee sufficient water flows into the Mesopotamian Marshes and southern Iraq
"We call on all people and organizations all around the world to support our demands and to launch similar calls on the Turkish government!" (PT/SD)
https://bianet.org/english/environment/ ... to-save-it
Good Thoughts Good Words Good Deeds
-
Anthea - Shaswar
- Donator
- Posts: 28437
- Images: 1155
- Joined: Thu Oct 18, 2012 2:13 pm
- Location: Sitting in front of computer
- Highscores: 3
- Arcade winning challenges: 6
- Has thanked: 6019 times
- Been thanked: 729 times
- Nationality: Kurd by heart
Re: Call for global action for ancient Hasankeyf on 7 and 8
Author: Anthea » Wed Jun 05, 2019 10:51 am
Julie Ward MEP expressed concern to Erdoğan for Ilisu dam
The Turkish government announced that on 10 June it will start filling the Ilisu Dam reservoir
The Initiative to Keep Hasankeyf Alive and Mesopotamia Ecology Movement called on social movements, NGO's, activists to join the 3rd Global Day of Action for the defense of the 12,000 year old town Hasankeyf and the Tigris River on 7 and 8 June
Julie Ward MEP, Member of the Committee on Culture & Education, wrote to President Erdoğan to express her utmost concern regarding the announcement of the filling of the Ilisu Dam on 10 June 2019.
The letter reads as follows:
"As you know, filling this dam will have disastrous consequences for the downstream areas of the Tigris river, and in particular for Hasankeyf. The cultural heritage of this city is unmatched, spanning nine civilisations. For 12,000 years, it has been a site of uninterrupted human settlement. Dozens of cultures have left their mark on Hasankeyf.
As a cultural activist, and a Member of the Culture and Education Committee in the European Parliament, I am very concerned by reports stating that the filling of the dam would flood and destroy most of the city.
The site of Hasankeyf is an international heritage site that should belong to humanity as a whole. The threat posed by the Ilisu Dam project prompted the World Monuments Fund to list the city on its 2008 Watch List of the 100 Most Endangered Sites in the world.
In 2001 the British contractor Balfour Beatty pulled out of the project because it failed to meet ethical, environmental and commercial criteria. Sadly the Turkish authorities have continued regardless.
As a human rights advocate, I am also worried about the social consequences the filling of the dam would have on adjacent communities. Reports state that 80,000 people risk losing their livelihoods if this project goes ahead.
Further downstream, communities in Syria and Iraq are also at risk of being affected by the dam. This project will seriously jeopardise the water supply to major Iraqi towns.
Iraqi agriculture and the biodiversity of the Tigris river ecosystem. Management of water supplies in the region should be inclusive and mindful of the impact on communities and their livelihoods.
I therefore urge you not to begin filling the Ilisu Dam on June 10th. I also urge you to put the project on hold, in order to engage in a broad, participative and transparent discussion with the local populations in the affected communities and the competent authorities in Syria and Iraq.
I look forward to your response and I remain available for any further information."
Good Thoughts Good Words Good Deeds
-
Anthea - Shaswar
- Donator
- Posts: 28437
- Images: 1155
- Joined: Thu Oct 18, 2012 2:13 pm
- Location: Sitting in front of computer
- Highscores: 3
- Arcade winning challenges: 6
- Has thanked: 6019 times
- Been thanked: 729 times
- Nationality: Kurd by heart
Re: Call for global action for ancient Hasankeyf on 7 and 8
Author: Anthea » Fri Jun 07, 2019 1:29 am
Fire and Flood – a poem for Afrin and Hasankeyf
Welcome glens of fruit and forest,
paradise that was Afrin
Turkey’s men have scorched the earth – made
desert ‘peace’ where once was green
Golden waves of wheat and barley
harvest-ready in the sun
Flame and smoke of vengeful fire – and
Turkey’s ‘cleansing’ work is done
Ancient city on the Tigris
living homes of history
Hasankeyf – soon drowned in water
Turkish electricity
Sarah Glynn
http://www.sskonline.org.uk/2019/06/04/ ... kLgxoTmXGw
Welcome glens of fruit and forest,
paradise that was Afrin
Turkey’s men have scorched the earth – made
desert ‘peace’ where once was green
Golden waves of wheat and barley
harvest-ready in the sun
Flame and smoke of vengeful fire – and
Turkey’s ‘cleansing’ work is done
Ancient city on the Tigris
living homes of history
Hasankeyf – soon drowned in water
Turkish electricity
Sarah Glynn
http://www.sskonline.org.uk/2019/06/04/ ... kLgxoTmXGw
Good Thoughts Good Words Good Deeds
-
Anthea - Shaswar
- Donator
- Posts: 28437
- Images: 1155
- Joined: Thu Oct 18, 2012 2:13 pm
- Location: Sitting in front of computer
- Highscores: 3
- Arcade winning challenges: 6
- Has thanked: 6019 times
- Been thanked: 729 times
- Nationality: Kurd by heart
Return to Kurdistan Debates, Articles and Analysis
Who is online
Registered users: Bing [Bot], Google [Bot], Majestic-12 [Bot]