'History Disappears' as Dam Water Floods Ancient Turkish Town
2020-03-01
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1Every day, hundreds of people gather on the edge of the Tigris River in southeast Turkey.
2They stand and watch as a 12,000-year-old town slowly disappears.
3Rising water levels from the Ilisu Dam are flooding the ancient town of Hasankeyf.
4Turkish government officials approved plans for the dam in 1997.
5It was built to produce electricity for the area.
6But the effects of the flooding will force out nearly 80,000 people from 199 villages.
7Even officials in neighboring Iraq are worried.
8They fear what the project will do to water supplies from the Tigris.
9After years of delays, the dam started filling last July.
10Water levels in and around Hasankeyf have already risen about 15 meters.
11The levels continue to rise by around 15 centimeters a day.
12The dam forms part of Turkey's Southeastern Anatolia Project.
13The effort is designed to increase economic activity in the poor and underdeveloped area.
14Locals have moved out of Hasankeyf.
15Many of them moved to a new town, Yeni Hasankeyf, on a nearby hill.
16"Yeni" means "new" in Turkish.
17The town will sit along a newly created waterway once the dam is completely filled.
18For now, locals can still see the stone supports of an ancient bridge that once crossed the Tigris.
19They also can see a modern-day bridge. But both structures are slowly disappearing.
20Dirt has been left at both ends of the modern bridge, which leads into Hasankeyf, to prevent people from entering the town.
21Village guards wait at the end of it.
22The water has come up on the shores of the town near the end of the bridge, swallowing some houses.
23Parts of roads in the town are also under water.
24News reporters were turned away from another entrance to Hasankeyf.
25Police told them that only locals moving their belongings and people with permission from local officials could enter.
26Once the dam is filled, proposed plans for the area include tourist boats that will travel between the new town and a part of the old town that will remain above the water.
27Several historic structures -- including a massive tomb, an ancient Turkish bath and an historic Islamic center -- have already been moved to Yeni Hasankeyf.
28The Ilisu Dam will produce 1,200 megawatts of electricity, making it Turkey's fourth-largest dam in terms of energy production.
29The historic Hasankeyf fortress is where where Romans, Mongols and Seljuk Turks fought or settled centuries ago.
30Below it, a canyon containing hundreds of caves in which people once lived and worked has been filled with concrete.
31A waterway was built on top of the hard surface to make rain water flow into the dam.
32The dam is now 20 to 25 percent full, reports the Hasankeyf Coordination group.
33The water will likely rise another 50 meters in coming months, reaching just below the top of the fortress.
34Eyup Agilday, a 27-year-old shepherd, recently moved to the new town.
35He still visits the old village each day to take care of his sheep.
36He left the animals behind because there is no land for farming in the new town.
37"When I see Hasankeyf being left under water, I am torn up inside. We have memories there but our history is there as well. We are talking about 12,000 years," Agilday said.
38He added that around five families were still coming to the town to take care of their animals.
39Ramazan Sevik, who is from the nearby village of Gercus, came with his two children to visit the town before it is gone.
40"We saw the history here but our children didn't see those dusty beautiful caves. They'll only a see a version of it with make-up," the 45-year-old said.
41"Those who opposed (the project) were accused of being political," Sevik said.
42"Even if you're an environmentalist, a patriot, or animal lover, they labeled you as something else when you said 'Stop!' to the project."
43He added, "Now, we're watching history slowly disappear."
44I'm Ashley Thompson.
1Every day, hundreds of people gather on the edge of the Tigris River in southeast Turkey. They stand and watch as a 12,000-year-old town slowly disappears. 2Rising water levels from the Ilisu Dam are flooding the ancient town of Hasankeyf. Turkish government officials approved plans for the dam in 1997. It was built to produce electricity for the area. 3But the effects of the flooding will force out nearly 80,000 people from 199 villages. Even officials in neighboring Iraq are worried. They fear what the project will do to water supplies from the Tigris. 4After years of delays, the dam started filling last July. Water levels in and around Hasankeyf have already risen about 15 meters. The levels continue to rise by around 15 centimeters a day. 5The dam forms part of Turkey's Southeastern Anatolia Project. The effort is designed to increase economic activity in the poor and underdeveloped area. 6Locals have moved out of Hasankeyf. Many of them moved to a new town, Yeni Hasankeyf, on a nearby hill. "Yeni" means "new" in Turkish. The town will sit along a newly created waterway once the dam is completely filled. 7For now, locals can still see the stone supports of an ancient bridge that once crossed the Tigris. They also can see a modern-day bridge. But both structures are slowly disappearing. 8Dirt has been left at both ends of the modern bridge, which leads into Hasankeyf, to prevent people from entering the town. Village guards wait at the end of it. 9The water has come up on the shores of the town near the end of the bridge, swallowing some houses. Parts of roads in the town are also under water. 10News reporters were turned away from another entrance to Hasankeyf. Police told them that only locals moving their belongings and people with permission from local officials could enter. 11Once the dam is filled, proposed plans for the area include tourist boats that will travel between the new town and a part of the old town that will remain above the water. Several historic structures -- including a massive tomb, an ancient Turkish bath and an historic Islamic center -- have already been moved to Yeni Hasankeyf. 12The Ilisu Dam will produce 1,200 megawatts of electricity, making it Turkey's fourth-largest dam in terms of energy production. 13The historic Hasankeyf fortress is where where Romans, Mongols and Seljuk Turks fought or settled centuries ago. Below it, a canyon containing hundreds of caves in which people once lived and worked has been filled with concrete. A waterway was built on top of the hard surface to make rain water flow into the dam. 14The dam is now 20 to 25 percent full, reports the Hasankeyf Coordination group. The water will likely rise another 50 meters in coming months, reaching just below the top of the fortress. 15'Dusty beautiful caves' 16Eyup Agilday, a 27-year-old shepherd, recently moved to the new town. He still visits the old village each day to take care of his sheep. He left the animals behind because there is no land for farming in the new town. 17"When I see Hasankeyf being left under water, I am torn up inside. We have memories there but our history is there as well. We are talking about 12,000 years," Agilday said. He added that around five families were still coming to the town to take care of their animals. 18Ramazan Sevik, who is from the nearby village of Gercus, came with his two children to visit the town before it is gone. 19"We saw the history here but our children didn't see those dusty beautiful caves. They'll only a see a version of it with make-up," the 45-year-old said. 20"Those who opposed (the project) were accused of being political," Sevik said. "Even if you're an environmentalist, a patriot, or animal lover, they labeled you as something else when you said 'Stop!' to the project." 21He added, "Now, we're watching history slowly disappear." 22I'm Ashley Thompson. 23The Reuters news agency reported this story. Ashley Thompson adapted it for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor. 24_____________________________________________________________ 25Words in This Story 26shore - n. the land along the edge of an area of water (such as an ocean, lake, etc.) 27tourist - n. a person who travels to a place for pleasure 28tomb - n. a building or chamber above or below the ground in which a dead body is kept 29bath - n. a public building where people in the past went to wash or soak their bodies 30fortress - n. a place that is protected against attack : a fortified place 31canyon - n. a deep valley with steep rock sides and often a stream or river flowing through it 32cave - n. a large hole that was formed by natural processes in the side of a cliff or hill or under the ground 33make-up - n. substances (such as lipstick or powder) used to make someone's face look more attractive 34label - v. to name or describe (someone or something) in a specified way