Turkey prepares to flood ancient town as part of dam project
Updated 22:56, 10-Oct-2019
By Michal Bardavıd
02:41

As Turkey is preparing to flood the ancient city of Hasankeyf in southeastern Turkey, a painful picture is painted.

Tourists are currently flocking to the town to try and capture the beauty of the historical town before it becomes inundated due to a dam construction project.

The town along the Tigris River will soon be left under water and many of the valuable treasures will be left beneath it.

Aerial view of the old city and the dam /CGTN Photo

Aerial view of the old city and the dam /CGTN Photo

A worker restores a building in the new archaeological settlement. /CGTN Photo

A worker restores a building in the new archaeological settlement. /CGTN Photo

Current location of the old mausoleum /CGTN Photo

Current location of the old mausoleum /CGTN Photo

New city of Hasankeyf /CGTN Photo

New city of Hasankeyf /CGTN Photo

One of the most stunning structures of the town is the view of the hundreds of man-made caves that historians believe were first inhabited by humans over 10,000 years ago.

Hasankeyf has been home to many cultures and civilizations, from Romans and the Seljuk Turks to the Ottoman Empire. And now, Turkish citizens who were born and raised in this town are forced to evacuate it.

Many of them find it unbearable to accept that soon, their homes, their childhood memories, and the history that the city holds will all disappear.

A woman looks out the window at the new dam construction. /CGTN Photo

A woman looks out the window at the new dam construction. /CGTN Photo

A woman at the door of her house /CGTN Photo

A woman at the door of her house /CGTN Photo

Tourists in the ancient city /CGTN Photo

Tourists in the ancient city /CGTN Photo

Moving away from the town into the newly built nearby settlement is also financially difficult for many town residents who rely on tourism revenues.

Once completed, the Ilisu Dam is expected to generate 1,200 megawatts of electricity. The Turkish government has moved some of the monuments and structures to a nearby area, in hopes of saving part of the area's history.