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FightING ILISU DAM - SAVE HASANKEYF AND TIGRIS VALLEY |
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Welcome to the Homepage of the „Initative to Keep Hasankeyf Alive“ |
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RESPONSES TO THE REPORT SIGNED AND SENT TO MANY DIFFERENT MUNICIPALITIES AND NGOs BY THE ILISU CONSORTIUM’S TURKISH PROJECT COORDINATOR NUROL COMPANY ON 03.02.2006, by Meral Kaya |
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RESPONSES TO THE REPORT SIGNED AND SENT TO MANY DIFFERENT MUNICIPALITIES AND NGOs BY THE ILISU CONSORTIUM’S TURKISH PROJECT COORDINATOR NUROL COMPANY ON 03.02.2006
By Meral Kaya, Archeologist, Diyarbakir, Turkey 25.02.2006
A) The Opinion of the Ilisu Consortium’s Turkish Project Coordinator (from the 4th paragraph)
“It has been understood by the people of the region once again that, during the 7 years of the Ilisu Dam’s construction, 80.000 people will be employed, there will be an estimated 600-700 million dollar of economic activity and the peace will arrive at the region. Those people without employment and food have been waiting for this for 54 years. Construction of the Ilisu Dam is going to start in the spring of 2006 and will be finished by 2013.”
A) Response to the 4th paragraph:
1. It is not the Ilisu Dam that the community has been waiting for 54 years. The community has been waiting for their cultural, social and economic rights to freedom, education and economic and social welfare, briefly their right to live as human beings.
2. Peace, employment and economic activities are brought together in the same paragraph and exaggeratedly. It is impossible to solve all problems through the temporary economic welfare that will be provided during the seven years of dam’s construction. If all problems could be solved by dams, Atatürk Dam, which is also in the GAP region, would have solved them all. Everyone knows very well by now that each and every dam built in the region promised the very same things to the local people. Unfortunately after the dams were finished, all promises were forgotten along with the needs of the local people who received nothing in the end. Atatürk Dam, Keban Dam, Batman Dam and Birecik Dam are good examples of this. People are given promises of job opportunities and food during the construction. What happens after that? This question is never brought to the foreground by the responsibles who promise those.
B) The Opinion of the Ilısu Consortium’s Project Coordinator (from the 6th paragraph)
“Regarding the efforts for rescuing cultural assets in Hasankeyf and its environs, and all the national and international instititutions and specialists do appreciate The Master Guide Project in this regard, we do not agree with the letter of the mayor of Hasankeyf whose statement merely consists of a slogan. We are expecting that the idea of making Hasankeyf a center of culture and tourism in the world will be considered seriously.”
B) Response to the 6th paragraph:
Report suggests that the project includes serious work done for the purposes of saving cultural assets in the affected areas. Archaeologists might really work hard not to give any damages; they, on the other hand, do only deceive people by telling that.
1. South East Anatolia Region is very important for the history of civilization. There are many tumuli and monuments in the affected areas, carrying our history from the past to future. When compared to the dry plains of the South, the region in the upper Mesopotomia has more productive natural conditions. That is why this region is called ‘Abundant Crescent’ in the cultural works.
The importance of this region is not only limited to its being a part of the Mesopotomia. This is also a point of intersection where the Near Eastern culture and the Anatolian culture came together and interacted with each other. Therefore, it is possible to come across with many thousands years old archeological heritage everywhere in the region. Unfortunately, the South East of the Anatolia has the least researched archeological sites in the country. Especially in the Ilısu Dam area, there has not been any satisfactory research at all. However, from each digging it is possible to get new information about other cultures and history, which is indeed currently the case with the excavations at the Hasankeyf archeological site.
2. The length of Tigris and its extension bordering Ilısu Dam is 325 km. According to a research done on 25 topographical maps (1/25.000 scale) and to a report written by the Center for Research and Assessment of Historic Environment (TAÇDAM) at the Middle East Technical University (METU), potential research areas should cover an area of 37.750 hectares. There are also areas that will be at risk of erosion after the construction of the dam, although they are located off of the the reservoir site. Research done by Dr. G. Algaze between the years 1988 and 1991 comprised an area of 7000 hectares. Despite the history of social conflict in the region during the period, 208 archeological centers were determined during the research activities. It is certain that this number will increase when and if a research could be carried out in an area of 37.750 hectares.
3. The surface research done by Dr. Algaze is not satisfactory enough to get the information that is necessary to start proper archeological excavations. Despite the fact that this was also confirmed by the TAÇDAM at METU; in 1999, it was Dr. Algaze’s research that formed the basis of the excavations aimed to rescue the cultural and historical assets at the Hasankeyf archeological site. Since 1999, excavations have been initiated on 14 tumuli. 3 of them were unfinished (Gredimse Tumulus, Lower Salat Settlement, Yeniceyani 1st Tumulus ), one of them was stopped. It is expected that water will be held in the dam’s reservior only in the end of the 7 years. This means we have only seven years to finish the rescue work.
The extensive research that is suggested by the archeologists for a proper and intensive investigation of the site has not been done so far. Only a research on Paleolithic Settlement in 2002-2003, on Prehistoric Settlement in Ambar Çay, Kuru Çay and Pamuk Çay in 2003-2004 and on Classic Period Settlement in 2002 were done.
As a result, there still does not exist a proper and intensive archeological investigation research in an area of 37.750 hectares in the affected regions. Within this context, how can we be expected to appreciate and seriously consider the so called cultural rescue work carried out by the Ilisu Consortium?
Furthermore, it is evident that the rescue work done in Hasankeyf since 1986 is not good enough:
· There is no detailed research on Hasankeyf and its surroundings; and the Archaic Settlement board, including the Prehistoric Period, has not been determined yet. · There does not exist a correct and proper topographical map of Hasankeyf. The only existing one drawn by TAÇDAM at METU has got many mistakes. · Neither the works of art that were found between the years 1986-2003 during the excavations and nor the lists of those were delivered to the relevant museums of the Ministry of Culture (that is the Mardin Museum). Therefore, there is no information at the Cultural Ministry about the works of art in Hasankeyf. There are only a few works of art that were delivered from the Hasankeyf site to the Museum Administration in 2004. Number of the works of art found between the years 1986-2003 and information about them is missing. · Few places were digged between the years 1986-2003 to find out more about the Islamic Period. The leader of the excavation team changed in 2004. The team who replaced them were not really proffessionals and were far away from adapting a scientific attitude. This team has been carrying out excavation activities at the site for the last two years.
4. The region has been home to many civilizations in the past, and has carried their history, cultures, lives and souls to us as well. It is rich regarding not only the Concrete Cultural Assets but also the Abstract Cultural Assets. However, the Project neither includes nor foresees any such cultural rescue work. Along with the dam, the Abstract Cultural Assets will be lost as well.
5. Given the informations above, it is obvious that the ‘Rescue work’ was not serious. Keban and other dams also provide good examples of such insufficient work. It was reported that many tumuli were buried under water without any research.
· During the Keban Dam Project, only 19 out of 59 archeological sites were excavated by the TAÇDAM at METU. 550 settlements were found between the years 1975-1988 in Down Euphrates Region. Only 19 of them could be rescued (This data is taken from the report prepared by the TAÇDAM at METU for the State Water Works (DSI) and the Ministry of Culture in 1999).
6. It is also noted that Hasankeyf will be one of ‘Centers of Culture and Tourism’ in the world.
According to the approved Master Guide Project, only a few historical works of art like the Two Castle Doors, Zeynel Bey Tomb, İmam Abdullah Tomb, a couple of mosque minarets and the Hasankeyf Bridge will be relocated to another site, even though they are not physically suitable to be moved at all. People in Diyarbakır say: ‘Door is gone looking for its bell’. Doors without castles, minarets without mosques, bridges without the Tigris will indeed never let us forget the profound disgrace that will be brought to the humans’ past, present and future by the Ilisu Dam Project.
7. Making Hasankeyf a Center of Culture and Tourism in the World is only possible by saving its cultural, historical and natural assets and opening the original area to the tourism with all its assets.
The only solution is to make sure that Hasankeyf and all its cultural, historical and natural riches can receive the care they deserve, that the so far unknown aspects of the history of humanity can be brought to light through such thorough research, and that our cultural values can be saved and opened for tourism as they are. This will also contribute to promoting sustainable economic and social development in our country.
Meral Kaya Archeologist Member of the Initiative to Keep Hasankeyf Alive Contact address: Initiative to Keep Hasankeyf Alive Belediye Konukevi, 2. Kat, Ofis Diyarbakir/Turkey Tel :+90 (412) 229 67 47 Fax:+90 (412) 224 53 38 Contact person: Caglayan Ayhan (caglayan.ayhan@gmail.com)
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