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SHAME on Kurds who allowed Hasankeyf to be DESTROYED

A place for discussion and exchanging ideas about Kurdistan issues here, also a place for sharing article & views and analysis about Kurdistan .

Re: As Turkey destroys Hassankeyf nobody prevents it

PostAuthor: Anthea » Sat Aug 26, 2017 9:12 pm

Hasankeyf demolished by both dynamite and construction equipment

Demolition continues with construction equipment in the historic Darphane Fortress which has been blown up with dynamite in the antique town of Hasankeyf.

The Darphane Fortress was first blown up with dynamite as part of the construction of the Ilısu Hydroelectric Dam in Batman’s antique Hasankeyf district, and now it is being demolished with construction equipment.

Rüzgar Mountaineering Co. split the largest rock formation in the fortress with a lever jack and marked it with red lines, and then placed dynamite inside. The dynamite use has been captured on video, but the Batman Governorate still claims they are using “ecological explosives”.

Meanwhile experts say that when explosives are used, large chunks of rock can fall, and could possibly harm the small palace and the minaret of the Al Rizzik Mosque inside the fortress.

After the dynamite, demolition of the fortress continues with construction equipment.

EXCAVATION BRIDGE OVER THE TIGRIS RIVER KILLED THE FISH

Rocks within the fortress have been damaged and ecological destruction continues over the Tigris River. The temporary excavation bridge under construction over the river as part of the floodgates for the dam has caused a change in direction in the river bed and increased pollution in the river. As a result, thousands of fish have died. X(

Journalists are not allowed to enter the area.
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Re: As Turkey destroys Hassankeyf nobody prevents it

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Re: Barbaric Turks worse than ISIS as they destroy Hassankey

PostAuthor: Anthea » Sun Aug 27, 2017 11:36 am

Europa Nostra’s European Heritage Congress stated:

    1) The foreseen flooding of Hasankeyf would destroy evidence for one of the oldest organised human settlements ever discovered. Such a site is not just of national and European but of world significance. Therefore, we believe that it is incumbent not only on Turkey but on the entire international community to ensure its safeguard.

    2) Hasankeyf possesses one of the richest treasures of Islamic monuments in any country member of the Council of Europe. Acknowledging and affirming the value of this heritage for Europe’s shared cultural heritage, we deeply deplore the decision of the government of Turkey, a Member State of the Council of Europe, to build a dam which would lead to the flooding of such a site and, as a consequence, to the loss of one of the most valuable witnesses of Islamic heritage in a European country, without proper and transparent justification and without adequate compensation measures.

    3) We urge the Turkish authorities to adhere to the principles and standards of heritage protection which are included in the European Conventions adopted under the auspices of the Council of Europe and of which Turkey is a signatory (namely the Granada Convention and the Valletta Convention). We also make a strong appeal to the Turkish authorities to set up a proper consultation process with local communities and civil society organisations concerned in an open and transparent manner. It is by now very late but applying best international practice to this case of outstanding but endangered heritage could still be beneficial.

CONTACTS:

    Europa Nostra
    Joana Pinheiro
    Communications Coordinator
    E: jp@europanostra.org
    T: +31 63 43 65 985, M: + 31 6 34 36 59 85

    Hasankeyf Matters
    John Crofoot
    Co-founder
    E: johncrofoot@yahoo.com
    T: +1 404 831 7757, +90 542 285 85 67

TO FIND OUT MORE:

    www.europanostra.org
    7mostendangered.eu
    Facebook: Europa Nostra
    Twitter: @europanostra
    Flickr: europanostra

    http://www.hasankeyfmatters.com
    Facebook: Hasankeyf Matters
    Twitter: @HKMatters
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Re: Barbaric Turks worse than ISIS as they destroy Hassankey

PostAuthor: Anthea » Mon Aug 28, 2017 1:22 am

Turkish construction crews started dynamiting neolithic caves this week

The Ilisu Dam, the building of which has been delayed for years by protests, is also likely to flood the ancient town of Hasankeyf on the Tigris River. It is one of the oldest continuously inhabited settlements on Earth, with evidence of human habitation dating back to 10,000 BC.

"They are not only destroying our past, but also our future by taking away this as a source of income and heritage," one resident told Deutsche Welle. "We would like to apologise to the future generations for allowing this."


Despite international condemnation and protests the destruction is going ahead X(

The entire world condemned ISIS destruction of Palmyra and rightly so

WHY

Does the entire world ignore Turkey's destruction of Hasankeyf?

AND WHY

Have not Kurds prevented this disaster from taking place?

HASANKEYF IS ON KURDISH LAND

How long are Kurds going to allow Turkey to destroy their land?
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Re: Barbaric Turks worse than ISIS as they destroy Hassankey

PostAuthor: Anthea » Tue Aug 29, 2017 6:17 pm

Hasankeyf facing ongoing demolition like Palmyra

A huge rock mass has been torn down by dynamite in Hasankeyf Fortress

Demolition of caves, fortresses and rocks continues in the 12,000 years old Hasankeyf town that will be submerged by the controversial Ilısu Dam constructed by the AKP for “security” reasons.

As part of the demolition with dynamite and construction equipment ongoing in the ancient town for days, a huge rock mess in Hasankeyf Fortress has been blown up by dynamites Tuesday morning. The dynamites placed by the Rüzgar Mountaineering Co. during the past three days have been detonated today, leaving a part of the huge rock destroyed.

The remaining part of the rock mass will reportedly be blown up after the upcoming Eid al-Adha. Locals recorded the explosion, which recalls the ISIS’ destruction of the antique Palmyra city with explosives.
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Re: Barbaric Turks worse than ISIS as they destroy Hassankey

PostAuthor: Anthea » Tue Aug 29, 2017 6:21 pm

Detonation of Hasankeyf's largest rock to cause great destruction

In Batman’s Hasankeyf district the ongoing demolition with dynamites and construction equipment for the construction of the infamous Ilisu Hydroelectric Dam paves the way for huge damage and destruction on the history of the ancient town.

Image

Due to the ongoing demolition in Batman’s ancient Hasankeyf district traders and shop owners cannot attend their business anymore. There used to be 200 business owners in the historical Hasankeyf market, but only 25 of them remained because of the state’s genocidal policies.

The shopkeepers that have endured up to date are now closing the shutters of their stores as the working conditions have become unprofitable. The once busy and vivid market place is now shrouded in silence. The shopkeepers say that they cannot do business anymore, there is an uncertain situation and they are therefore living under the threat of being forced to pack as well.

Hasankeyf's shopkeepers stated that they have been promised to be resettled in the new settlement area, but they do not want to leave their land.

The Rüzgar Mountaineering Co. has placed dynamite in the largest rock formation in the Darphane Fortress, the area has been surrounded with barbed wire and the region is being demolished with construction equipment.

Hasankeyf's shopkeepers pointed out that for three days dynamite is being attached to the huge rock, which is expected to be detonated before the begin of the Eid al-Adha. This will lead to a total cut off of access to the district's market place. The shopkeepers stated that the detonation of this huge rock formation will cause greater harm than all previous detonations. Also the El-Rızzık Mosque's minaret, 7 memorials and small castles are in great danger.

On the other hand, concrete blocks around the Zeynel Bey Tomb, which was 'relocated' to another area in May, have been demolished by construction equipment. During the relocation of the tomb ornaments that are called "blue beads" all dropped down due to the heavy shaking, which caused also the concrete blocks on its bottom to crumble.

Access to the current location of the tomb is forbidden.
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Re: Barbaric Turks worse than ISIS as they destroy Hassankey

PostAuthor: Anthea » Tue Aug 29, 2017 6:24 pm

TOKİ starts building houses in Hasankeyf amid ongoing destruction

With the construction of Ilısu Hydroelectric Dam, the destruction caused to Hasankeyf and its 12 thousand years old memory of life is continuing. Turkish public housing authority has already launched casting concrete for the construction of 710 buildings.

In Batman’s Hasankeyf district demolition continues with dynamites and construction equipment.

In the ancient city Hasankeyf the Turkish public housing authority (TOKİ) has now started casting concrete for the building of some other 710 houses after finishing the construction works for the first 320 buildings. These building constructions are expected to be completed by the end of 2017. Many times before it has been clearly seen that the buildings constructed by the TOKİ collapsed due to rampant negligence.

Some days ago 500 to 600 years old water holes were detected at those construction areas. It is said that those water sources reach the Imam Abdullah Palace situated between the Zeynel Abdin Tomb, which was “relocated” outside the planned dam reservoir close to new settlement called New-Hasankeyf in May, and seven other monuments that are also to be shifted. Warning has been issued that those water places might suffer damage due to the construction works with heavy machinery in this area. Aside from these water holes, also the outlines of a foundation were stumbled upon, which are said to be three thousand years old.

Despite all these, 710 new buildings are still being constructed in the region. The residents of Hasankeyf stated that the Turkish state will first accommodate them in rented houses in their own land, then place them in new houses and leave them no choice other than migration as they will not be able to pay their debts for these homes,.
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Re: Barbaric Turks worse than ISIS as they destroy Hassankey

PostAuthor: Anthea » Tue Aug 29, 2017 6:37 pm

WHAT WILL YOU TELL YOUR GRANDCHILDREN

When the ask you why YOU did NOTHING to prevent the destruction of such an important heritage site?

Those who are too busy to prevent this destruction because they are watching Turkish TV have no right to call themselves Kurdish X(

Not only is the beautiful city of Hasankeyf being destroyed but all the unique flora and fauna - plants and creatures that live nowhere else on the planet :((

When everything has been destroyed - the tourist industry will also be destroyed - the livelihood of many local traders will be gone fore-ever

Everything on Kurdish land that is of historical value is being destroyed by Turkey X(
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Re: Barbaric Turks worse than ISIS as they destroy Hassankey

PostAuthor: Anthea » Wed Aug 30, 2017 10:15 am

Caves of Hasankeyf on verge of being destroyed by a new dam

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Kurdistan’s 12,000-year-old Hasankeyf citadel is on the verge of being destroyed – devastating the historic caves surrounding it.

Authorities have started to collapse cliff faces around the ruins of the settlement, in order to press ahead with the construction of a dam around 50 miles downstream.

The construction of the Ilisu dam is highly controversial – in no small part because it is going to raise the level of the Tigris by around 60m, which will submerge 80% of the ancient city and numerous villages nearby.

It will also destroy more than 300 historical sites that have yet to be explored, and ruin the fragile ecosystem of the Tigris, The Guardian reported.

Ercan Ayboga, an environmental engineer with the Initiative to Keep Hasankeyf Alive, told the paper that around 80,000 people would end up displaced because of the dam. Many will lose their livelihoods as well, and because of the need to take out loans to pay for new homes, thousands will be left impoverished.

Image

And despite the dam only having a life expectancy of less than 100 years, the damage it causes to the river and surrounding areas will be irreparable.

For example, the area is home to many endangered and vulnerable species as well, like the Euphrates softshell turtle and the red-wattled lapwing.

‘The Tigris river basin is one of the last areas where a river runs freely in Turkey without having been dammed,’ Ayboga told the paper. ‘The dam will completely destroy the river banks.

‘The microclimate will change due to the dam, a phenomenon we have already seen after the dams on the Euphrates. The biodiversity will suffer; the rich variety of plant and animal life will be severely diminished.’

Image

Ayboga also accused the Turkish government of taking advantage of the current state of emergency – which was declared just over a year ago, and bans all public meetings and protests – to speed up the much-hated project.

The international community has also spoken out against it. Germany, Austria and Switzerland all withdrew their financial support for the dam in 2009.

However the Turkish authorities have managed to secure £1.02billion in domestic financing, and is going ahead with the project despite a pending court decision at the European Court of Human Rights.

http://metro.co.uk/2017/08/29/caves-of- ... d-6887307/
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Re: Barbaric Turks worse than ISIS as they destroy Hassankey

PostAuthor: Anthea » Wed Aug 30, 2017 10:44 am

Turkey's 12,000-year-old Hasankeyf citadel faces obliteration

Should read: Kurdistan's 12,000-year-old Hasankeyf citadel faces obliteration

And if Kurds had continued their demand for independence Hasankeyf would be SAFE

Work on clearing site for the controversial Ilisu dam on Tigris river threatens collapse of ancient monument famed for thousands of manmade caves


Image

The destruction of Turkey’s 12,000-year-old Hasankeyf citadel has moved a step closer as authorities have begun to collapse cliff faces around the ruins of the settlement.

The move, linked to the construction of a highly controversial dam about 50 miles downstream, is also expected to damage the rich ecosystem of the Tigris river basin.

Local authorities have announced that the rocks were broken off “for safety reasons” and that 210 caves – a fraction of thousands of manmade caves in the area – would be filled before the town’s inundation in order to prevent erosion.

The Ilisu dam, part of the Southeast Anatolian project (Gap) and one of Turkey’s largest hydroelectric projects to date, has been mired in controversy ever since it was first drafted in 1954. The dam will raise the level of the Tigris at Hasankeyf by 60m, submerging 80% of the ancient city and numerous surrounding villages, including more than 300 historical sites that have still not been explored.

Environmental engineer Ercan Ayboga of the Initiative to Keep Hasankeyf Alive warns that close to 80,000 people will be displaced. Many of them will lose their land and their livelihoods. Because of additional debts taken up to purchase new homes, thousands face impoverishment.

Germany, Austria and Switzerland withdrew financial support for the Ilisu dam in July 2009, citing concerns about the social, cultural and environmental impact. The Turkish government, arguing that the dam will help produce much needed energy and irrigation, has secured domestic financing of the €1.1bn (£1.02bn) project and is pushing ahead despite a pending court decision at the European court of human rights.

The Ilisu dam has a life expectancy of less than 100 years, but the destruction of the fragile natural environment will be irreversible. X( X( X(

“The Tigris river basin is one of the last areas where a river runs freely in Turkey without having been dammed,” Ayboga says. “The dam will completely destroy the river banks. The microclimate will change due to the dam, a phenomenon we have already seen after the dams on the Euphrates. The biodiversity will suffer; the rich variety of plant and animal life will be severely diminished.”

Numerous vulnerable and endangered species are threatened by the construction of the dam, including the Euphrates softshell turtle, the red‐wattled lapwing, and many other rare birds, bats and mammals. While the environmental impact on Turkey will be severe, the effect on neighbouring Iraq is expected to be catastrophic.

Toon Bijnens, international coordinator for the Save the Tigris and Iraqi Marshes Campaign in Sulaymaniyah, said downstream water levels are expected to decrease by 40%: “This means that the water quality of the Tigris will worsen. There will be increased salt water intrusion, making the water unfit for drinking or irrigation.”

Ilisu, once operational, will also be detrimental to the Mesopotamian marshes, a wetland area in southern Iraq declared a Unesco world heritage site in 2016. “The dam will dry up a considerate part of the marshes,” Bijnens said. The marshes were drained by Saddam Hussein in the 1990s and the community of the Marsh Arabs has only recently returned to their land. Their livelihoods are now again endangered by the Turkish dam.

An official source from the Turkish ministry for Forests and Water Works told the Guardian that “all dammed up water is sent downstream via the turbines”. Because Ilisu was a hydroelectric dam, there would be no decrease of water levels. “The importance of reservoirs as a safe water source in the fight against global warming and drought has increased,” the source said. “For that reason the Ilisu dam has to be seen as an advantage for Iraq, not a threat.”

However, Ankara has not yet ratified the 1997 UN Watercourses Convention, a treaty that seeks to establish a law for governing freshwater resources shared across international borders that entered into force in 2014. Since no formal agreement was signed, the sovereignty over how much water is released downstream rests with Turkey, Bijnens warned.

Ayboga stressed that despite the controversies surrounding the construction of the Ilisu dam, all protests and public meetings were banned under the current state of emergency, declared just over a year ago.

“There has always been a serious lack of transparency and accountability,” he said. “But now the Turkish government uses the conflict in the region and the state of emergency to speed up the project and to silence all opposition. Many locals are scared to protest now.”

Ayboga added that it was very difficult for journalists, both local and international, to access the area. “This makes it easier for the government to push ahead with extremely controversial measures,” he said.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/ ... literation
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Re: Barbaric Turks worse than ISIS as they destroy Hassankey

PostAuthor: Anthea » Thu Aug 31, 2017 5:55 pm

Hasankeyf

This ancient city - home to nine civilizations - is soon to be buried under 200 feet of water

The settlement of Hasankeyf in southeastern Turkey has been continuously inhabited for nearly 12,000 years, its location near the river Tigris making it a key prize for the great civilizations of Mesopotamia. Modern civilization, however, has left its days numbered.

The first inhabitants of Hasankeyf were cliff dwellers, who settled in the caves along the rock face of the Raman Mountains. Over the following millennia, the Assyrians, Romans, Byzantines, Mongols, and Ottomans would cycle through these lands, leaving behind their bridges, palaces, and temples. Few ancient cities can lay claim to such a wealth of history. And, although the city’s crumbling mausoleums and teetering minarets make an obvious claim to the past, even more secrets of antiquity still remain underground, a treasure trove of archeological potential.

Hasankeyf’s fate, however, has been sealed by the encroachment of the Ilisu Dam, a massive engineering project that will create a 121-square-mile reservoir. As a result, water levels in Hasankeyf are expected to rise by 200 feet (enough to reach the upper balcony of the famed minaret). While the dam project will provide much-needed jobs and generate nearly 2 percent of Turkey’s electricity supply, it has fallen out of favor with the international establishment due to the impending displacement of people living in the region and the inundation of cultural sites like Hasankeyf. However, although international funding for the dam was pulled in 2008, construction has continued with the support of several large Turkish banks. There are plans to relocate about a dozen monuments in the city before the tide comes in, but much of what remains to be discovered will certainly be lost. Those planning a visit are advised to make it soon.

http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/hasankeyf
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Re: Barbaric Turks worse than ISIS as they destroy Hassankey

PostAuthor: Anthea » Fri Sep 22, 2017 8:48 pm

Flooding the cradle of civilisation:
A 12,000 year old town in Kurdistan battles for survival

It’s one of the oldest continually inhabited places on earth, but a new dam has put Hasankeyf under threat, write Eliza Egret and Tom Anderson

Image

In Kurdistan, one of the world’s most controversial dams nears completion. However, local residents, civil society organisations and international activists are still fighting to block the project.

The Ilısu dam is located within south-east Turkey. The massive artificial lake will displace up to 78,000 people, the majority of whom are Kurdish. 199 villages will be completely or partially flooded, and thousands of nomads will also be displaced.

Almost half of the affected people — and all nomadic peoples — have either no land or land titles. They will not receive any compensation.

The Turkish government claims that the dam will have ‘major environmental benefits’. However, it will flood 400 km of precious riverine habitat, and will have catastrophic results for the ecosystem of the Tigris river basin. The endangered Euphrates soft shell turtle is just one of many species threatened with extinction. The dam will also have grave effects on Iraq and Syria, which rely on the Tigris and Euphrates rivers for their water supply. The Mesopotamian marshes in Iraq – one of the most important ecosystems in the world – will also be devastated.

The Turkish government has stated that people will be relocated next year, and that the region will be flooded by the beginning of 2019. In June, Turkish newspapers reported that the Ilısu project is 97 per cent complete. This is contentious, as the construction of the hydroelectric power plant, as well as new bridges and roads, are not finished.

Hasankeyf

One of the oldest continually inhabited places on Earth, the 12,000 year old town of Hasankeyf is set to be submerged by the dam. An area of extraordinary beauty, and described as Mesopotamia’s cradle of civilisation, Hasankeyf is home to hundreds of ancient monuments and thousands of neolithic caves, many of which were inhabited until recently. The historic town fulfills the criteria to become a UNESCO World Heritage Site, but despite activists’ calls to protect the area, the UNESCO Committee has not acted.

The Turkish government has built the concrete block town of ‘New Hasankeyf’ to relocate residents. However, locals must pay for these houses, which cost two or three times more than the compensation they will receive from the government – an amount that will put many in severe debt. According to the Initiative To Keep Hasankeyf Alive, two thirds of people applying for an apartment in New Hasankeyf have been turned down, and new apartments may be sold to affluent people from other cities instead.

We have visited the Hasankeyf area four times to monitor the progress of the dam. In 2015 we interviewed local people and asked them whether they would get compensation. ‘I have eight siblings,’ Murat, a resident, told us. ‘The money [for the house] must be divided between everyone. So if I take 10,000 lira, what can I do? The new homes cost us 150,000 lira. How can I buy this?’

On our last visit to the region, we were subjected to military checkpoints and questions as we drove to the site of the Ilısu dam. When we visited New Hasankeyf, the police spotted us on CCTV and warned us not to take photos.

Since then the situation has worsened. Public demonstrations are almost impossible and the areas around Hasankeyf have been declared military zones. ‘Militarisation has reached such a level that it has become impossible to visit the site as independent researcher,’ says the Initiative To Keep Hasankeyf Alive. This year, National Geographic photographer Mathias Depardon was arrested when taking photos of New Hasankeyf.

In 2015, the European Court of Human Rights accepted the case of five individuals who are challenging the destruction of Hasankeyf’s cultural heritage. They are awaiting a result in 2017.

The destruction of Hasankeyf has already begun

In May, the first of nine of Hasankeyf’s fragile monuments was relocated, with the intention to make a ‘cultural park’, adjacent to New Hasankeyf. The irony of destroying a town which has been inhabited since 10,000BC to build a ‘cultural park’ is seemingly lost on the Turkish government.

Over 200 of the town’s neolithic caves are due to be filled in. In August, a company was commissioned to blow up a rockface with dynamite, damaging caves close to Hasankeyf’s ancient castle. In response, Mehmet Ali Aslan, a member of parliament from the feminist, pro-Kurdish People’s Democratic Party (HDP), chained himself to a rock in protest, temporarily halting the crew’s work. Mehmet stated that he would return with more people if dynamite crews continued.

The Turkish government states that the dam will provide hydroelectric power, bringing economic growth and ‘higher income levels and new opportunities to an area which badly needs them’. However, there are a number of underhand reasons why the dam is being built.

Firstly, it will force Kurdish people out of the villages, severing their connections to their land and their cultures. Turkey has attempted to ‘assimilate’ Kurdish people for decades. ‘Assimilation is much easier to achieve within cities, where people speak less Kurdish and connections to traditional Kurdish culture are weaker,’ Kurdish activist Ercan Ayboga told us. ‘This dam will oppress Kurds, control them and exploit them.’

Ercan went on to explain that the Ilısu project is also for capitalist gains: ‘It will change the economic characteristics of the whole region. It will displace people, incorporating them into the capitalist cycle of production, and especially consumption.’ Many of those displaced from their lands will be forced to the cities.

Another reason why Turkey wants to push on with the dam is to restrict the movement of resistance fighters of the PKK [Kurdistan Workers’ Party]. The building of Turkish military forts on the mountain tops surrounding the dam has also ensured that the Turkish military has more control of the area.

Water as a weapon

Through their damming of the Tigris river, Turkey can use water as a political weapon. In 1992, Suleyman Demirel, then prime minister of Turkey, stated: ‘Neither Syria nor Iraq can lay claim to Turkey’s rivers any more than Ankara could claim their oil. This is a matter of sovereignty. We have a right to do anything we like. The water resources are Turkey’s: the oil resources are theirs. We don’t say we share their oil resources, and they cannot share our water resources.’

Activist Ercan Ayboga told us: ‘Turkey will use water as a political weapon. They did it in the past against Syria and they’re doing it against Rojava [the autonomous region in northern Syria]. Between April and July of this year, they cut the water on the Euphrates so Rojava couldn’t produce much electricity. This is a big reason why international solidarity in stopping the Ilısu dam is important.’

Unfortunately, the Ilısu dam won’t be the end of the story. Turkey is one of the most prolific dam-building nations, and has 635 large dams within its borders. The Ilısu dam is part of the Southeastern Anatolia Project (abbreviated to GAP in Turkish), which consists of the construction of 22 dams and 19 hydroelectric power plants on the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. According to journalist Joris Leverink, ‘the finished GAP project will reduce water flows to Syria by 40 per cent and to Iraq by a shocking 80 per cent’.

The Cizre dam, part of the GAP project, is planned to be built downstream from the Ilısu dam. The Cizre dam will rely on Ilısu to function, capturing the water flowing from Ilısu and diverting it to irrigation for agriculture. It is likely that the construction of the Cizre dam will result in the further marginalisation of Kurdish people from their land.

The displacements in the region affected by the Ilısu dam are part of a wider policy of violence and forced relocation that has been taking place in Bakur (the region of Kurdistan within Turkey’s borders). In the 1990s, thousands of people were killed or disappeared and more than 3000 Kurdish villages were burnt to the ground.

Since 2015, the largest forced displacement of Kurdish people by Turkey for over twenty years has been taking place. In cities across Bakur, people declared autonomy from the Turkish state, in response to violence by the military and the harassment of Kurdish movements. They barricaded their neighbourhoods to keep out the police and military. The military’s response was brutal, attacking residential areas with tanks and helicopters. Since then, Kurdish communities in the cities have faced arrests, imprisonment and concerted attacks by the police and military.

According to Ercan Ayboga, ‘the submerging and destroying of Hasankeyf fits together with the destruction of parts of at least seven cities in Bakur in these last weeks and months.’

Kurdish residents in the Sur district of Amed (Diyarbakır in Turkish) are currently facing forced relocations. Sur was one of the cities which had declared autonomy in 2015. After the suppression of resistance in Sur in 2016, the military destroyed over a third of the city. Forced displacements are still ongoing in Sur, intended to break the solidarity of the community and gentrify the old city. Thousands of people are still facing relocation.

The likelihood of violence and displacement has been increased by the massive consolidation of state power that has taken place since an attempted military coup in July 2016. Since then the constitution has been changed to allow Erdoğan to rule by decree. Hundreds of thousands of people have been detained or arrested, 147 media outlets have been shut down and over 2,000 education institutions have been closed.

Global Hasankeyf Day

Over the years, activists worldwide have taken a wide range of actions to attempt to stop the Ilısu dam. As the project nears completion, it is vital that campaigners don’t give up the struggle. It is also important to realise that Ilısu will not be the end of the story, and that there is a need to resist against Turkish plans for equally damaging future projects.

There are currently two European companies involved in the Ilısu project. Andritz, an Austrian company, is involved in the construction of the hydroelectric power plant. It has completed three of the plant’s six turbines. See this report by Corporate Watch for details of Andritz’s locations.

Dutch company Bresser is involved in the relocation of Hasankeyf’s monuments, and is therefore complicit in the destruction of precious cultural heritage. Kurdish activists have demanded that Bresser ceases its involvement in the project.

The Initative to Keep Hasankeyf Alive has called a global day of action on 23 September, where it is asking for international solidarity in opposing the dam. Activists will be holding a Twitterstorm against Andritz: you can join in by tweeting @andritz and asking them to pull out of the project.

In Kurdistan, one of the world’s most controversial dams nears completion. However, local residents, civil society organisations and international activists are still fighting to block the project.

The Ilısu dam is located within south-east Turkey. The massive artificial lake will displace up to 78,000 people, the majority of whom are Kurdish. 199 villages will be completely or partially flooded, and thousands of nomads will also be displaced.

Almost half of the affected people — and all nomadic peoples — have either no land or land titles. They will not receive any compensation.

The Turkish government claims that the dam will have ‘major environmental benefits’. However, it will flood 400 km of precious riverine habitat, and will have catastrophic results for the ecosystem of the Tigris river basin. The endangered Euphrates soft shell turtle is just one of many species threatened with extinction. The dam will also have grave effects on Iraq and Syria, which rely on the Tigris and Euphrates rivers for their water supply. The Mesopotamian marshes in Iraq – one of the most important ecosystems in the world – will also be devastated.

The Turkish government has stated that people will be relocated next year, and that the region will be flooded by the beginning of 2019. In June, Turkish newspapers reported that the Ilısu project is 97 per cent complete. This is contentious, as the construction of the hydroelectric power plant, as well as new bridges and roads, are not finished.

Hasankeyf

One of the oldest continually inhabited places on Earth, the 12,000 year old town of Hasankeyf is set to be submerged by the dam. An area of extraordinary beauty, and described as Mesopotamia’s cradle of civilisation, Hasankeyf is home to hundreds of ancient monuments and thousands of neolithic caves, many of which were inhabited until recently. The historic town fulfills the criteria to become a UNESCO World Heritage Site, but despite activists’ calls to protect the area, the UNESCO Committee has not acted.

The Turkish government has built the concrete block town of ‘New Hasankeyf’ to relocate residents. However, locals must pay for these houses, which cost two or three times more than the compensation they will receive from the government – an amount that will put many in severe debt. According to the Initiative To Keep Hasankeyf Alive, two thirds of people applying for an apartment in New Hasankeyf have been turned down, and new apartments may be sold to affluent people from other cities instead.

We have visited the Hasankeyf area four times to monitor the progress of the dam. In 2015 we interviewed local people and asked them whether they would get compensation. ‘I have eight siblings,’ Murat, a resident, told us. ‘The money [for the house] must be divided between everyone. So if I take 10,000 lira, what can I do? The new homes cost us 150,000 lira. How can I buy this?’

Now is the time to take action against the Ilısu dam. If this project goes ahead, 78,000 people will lose their homes and their connections to the land. If the dam is completed, it will pave the way for new projects aimed at increasing the Turkish state’s oppression of Kurdish people and its domination of the region.

For more information on saving Hasankeyf see the Initiative To Keep Hasankeyf Alive.

If you live in the UK, you can find out how to act in solidarity with Kurdish communities and movements by checking Kurdistan Solidarity Campaign, Kurdistan Solidarity Network and Peace In Kurdistan.
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Re: Global Hasankeyf Day 23 September Keep Hasankeyf Alive

PostAuthor: Anthea » Fri Sep 22, 2017 8:58 pm

Call to “2nd Global Action Day” on 23rd September 2017!

We call activists, social movements, NGO's and all others in the world to join the second global action day for the defense of Hasankeyf and the Tigris River on 23rd September 2017! It is under threat by the Ilisu Project; lets protest this one of most controversial dams in the world!

After the first global action day in Sept. 2015 the construction of the Ilisu Dam and Hydroelectric Power Plant has continued without a break. The ongoing armed conflict has been used by the Turkish government to oppress protests on local and Turkey wide level. However, since mid of August 2017 a wave of new protests and critic came up all over the Kurdish region and Turkey after several rocks at the castle rock have been destroyed using explosives and other means. This action, which had no proper legal permission, is the start of new level in the destruction of outstanding and unique cultural and natural heritage of the 12.000 years old settlement Hasankeyf and the Tigris Valley. It is also pushing people out of Hasankeyf. Just in May 2017 the relocation of the first of totally 9 monuments, the Zeynel Bey Tomb, has been realized.

The recent critic has brought activists and organizations all over Turkey together. Before the planned action day we expect many activists from West-Turkey to come to Hasankeyf in order to show solidarity. Hasankeyf has a strong symbolic value for all people in Turkey struggling against dams and other destructive investment projects. Concerned people in Iraq and Iran have raised their voice against the Ilisu Project in the last months and years.

The Turkish government has announced several times that the construction has achieved a high level completion. This may be partly true and partly propaganda. However important is that we stand against this project which will destroy a whole region and will be beneficial only for some companies, landowners and the central government. The last weeks have shown that there is a chance to stop Ilisu Project!

You are invited to organize a public action in your city or country against the destructive Ilisu Project on the 23rd September. The demands should target mainly the Turkish government, the Austrian company Andritz - leader in Ilisu consortium - and request from the Iraqi government to act, which is silent about the upcoming drying out of its country. Do not hesitate to contact us or inform us about your planned action.

Our struggle will never give up and will continue to the last day! Hasankeyf and Tigris are our life sources!

Link to report on First Hasankeyf Global Action Day in 2015: http://www.hasankeyfgirisimi.net/?p=284

30.08.2017

Initiative to Keep Hasankeyf Alive
Email: hasankeyfgirisimi@gmail.com
Web site: www.hasankeyfgirisimi.net
facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hasankeyfyasatmagirisimi/
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Re: Global Hasankeyf Day 23 September Keep Hasankeyf Alive

PostAuthor: Anthea » Mon Oct 23, 2017 11:03 am

Petitioning Mesopotamian Ecology Movement Ercan Ayboga

Withdraw from the relocation project of monuments in Hasankeyf!

To:

    1) Er-Bu İnşaat, Çankaya/Ankara, Turkey

    2) Bresser Eurasia BV., 3295 ZJ ’s-Gravendeel, Netherlands

Dear Mr. Tunç, Mr. Çetin and Mr. Bresser,

we demand in the strongest possible terms that you withdraw from the project to relocate several monuments in the antique town of Hasankeyf in the Kurdish Southeast of Turkey.

Hasankeyf and the surrounding Tigris Valley are planned to be flooded by the Ilisu Dam and Hydroelectric Power Plant Project. It would lead to grave social, cultural and ecological impacts in a larger region which has endured poverty and forced displacement for decades. Almost all 80.000 affected people and regional society reject the dam which would not benefit at all. It would violate also the right to access to water in Iraq, which relies substantially on the Tigris, and it would threaten the Mesopotamian Marshes, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Without your consulting and implementing role, the DSI, acting on behalf of the Turkish government, would not be able to relocate up to 9 monuments in Hasankeyf to a new site. Since the revival of the Ilisu Project in 2005, the relocation of monuments has been a crucial element of the government’s untenable propaganda that Hasankeyf would be rescued through the Ilisu Project. The completion of the relocation is a precondition for the flooding. Thus it is unacceptable that you reduce your role to technical implementation! Hasankeyf is such an outstanding site that its conservation would be economically more beneficial than the Ilisu Project. Hasankeyf would fulfill 9 of 10 UNESCO World Heritage Criteria if Turkey applied to UNESCO.

Neither the DSI nor you two have ever tried to consult any local people or organizations regarding the relocation project. There is no transparency at all. Despite being well-known specialists in historic preservation, you do not take into account that the affected monuments are fundamental elements of Hasankeyf, which is an integral whole comprising both immovable and intangible heritage. The integral nature of the Hasankeyf ecosystem forms a strong part of the identity of people in Hasankeyf and the surrounding region. The DSI and also you have violated universal human rights, which are affirmed by international standards, including the Convention for the Protection of the Architectural Heritage of Europe (CETS 121) and the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, both of which mandate the systematic and substantive consultation of local populations in such projects.

If you want to step back from being part of destroying outstanding cultural heritage, you could withdraw from the relocation project by referring to these breaches of international standards. It is still not too late for you!


Initiated by the Mesopotamian Ecology Movement, Diyarbakir; email: mehdiplo@riseup.netwww.mezopotamyaekoloji.org
This petition will be delivered to:

Mesopotamian Ecology Movement
Ercan Ayboga
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Re: Hasahkeyf Petition re social, cultural, ecological impac

PostAuthor: Anthea » Wed Dec 13, 2017 4:35 pm

Curfew in villages of Hasankeyf

The Turkish state continues imposing curfews as part of military operations conducted against the PKK across Northern Kurdistan territory.

Image

Curfew has been declared in three villages and one hamlet of Batman’s historic Hasankeyf district amid preparations for an operation by the Turkish army.

The curfew that will be effective starting from 18:00 Wednesday evening involves the villages of Güneşli, Kayıklı and Kelekçi and Keçili hamlet of Palamut village.
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Re: Curfew in villages of Hasankeyf what are TURKS up to now

PostAuthor: Anthea » Wed Jan 31, 2018 4:40 pm

Ancient town of Hasankeyf one step closer
to destruction after top court’s decision


Please click on photo to enlarge
911

The 12,000-year-old Hasankeyf settlement in Northern Kurdistan, is on the verge of complete destruction, after a Constitutional Court ruling gave the final go-ahead for a controversial dam project that is set to leave the ancient town under water :((

The top court ruled that the issue was at the “discretion of the state,” as the construction of the Ilısu Dam and hydroelectric power plant project (HES) were matters of “public welfare” and “outside the Constitutional Court’s jurisdiction.”

Sitting on the banks of Tigris River, the town of Hasankeyf in the southeastern province of Batman is home to a rich archaeological heritage spanning nine civilizations, including the Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman empires.

The town, which was declared a natural conservation area in 1981, meets nine of the total 10 criteria to be deemed a UNESCO World Heritage site.

But soon it will be consumed by the waters of the Ilısu Dam, which officials say will provide electricity and irrigation to the region.

The dam will raise water levels of the Tigris River by around 60 meters, submerging the ancient town and villages around it, including immovable historical artifacts.

The issue was brought to the Constitutional Court by “Hasankeyf’i Yaşatma Girişimi” (the Initiative to Keep Hasankeyf Alive), a movement founded in 2006 to campaign against the Ilısu dam project. But with the top court’s recent ruling giving the final go-ahead for the construction of the dam, the ancient town will soon disappear :((

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/ancien ... ion-125872
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