Ancient Turkish town prepares to vanish under floodwaters
(Artdaily.org)

At first glance all is as normal in the Turkish town of Hasankeyf, which has seen the Romans, Byzantines, Turkic tribes and Ottomans leave their mark in over 10,000 years of human settlement. The Tigris River languidly flows through the historic centre of the town in southeast Turkey`s Batman province, souvenir sellers offer their wares to a handful of tourists and the famous vista of minarets, the citadel and ruins of a bridge take the breath away. But within the next few years, this scene is likely to be no more, with the historic centre of Hasankeyf set to vanish forever under the floodwaters from the Ilisu Dam project. Turkish officials argue that the dam`s hydroelectric power station will provide electricity and irrigation essential to the development of the Kurdish-dominated southeast. The historic edifices will be moved in a hugely ambitious programme