The canyons of Hasankeyf are as old as the Earth; the caves that shape them are as old as the human being. Today, the same civilization that grew up on the banks of the Tigris river, represents the greatest threat for the survival of these places. Located in the Turkish Kurdistan, the village of Hasankeyf is under threat due to the construction of the Ilisu Dam. After works will be completed, the people who live there will be moved to a new town. Hasankeyf will be submerged by water and thousands years of history will be wiped out.
The canyons of Hasankeyf are as old as the Earth; the caves that shape them are as old as the human being. Today, the same civilization that grew up on the banks of the Tigris river, represents the greatest threat for the survival of these places.
Located in the Turkish Kurdistan, just a few kilometers from the Syrian border, the village of Hasankeyf is under threat due to the construction of the Ilisu Dam, an important part of the GAP project*. After works will be completed, the people who live in this thousand-year old village will be moved to a new town. Hasankeyf will be submerged by the water and thousands years of history will be wiped out. All that will remain will be a Turkish flag waving over a spur of mountain.
Â
“Hasankeyf: the drowning village†is the first part of a long term project of documentary photography that aims to witness to those that might be the last years of Hasankeyf.
The projects narrates of a wait made of abandonments and uncertainties, trying to return that feeling of suspension of a limbo where life flow ordinarily despite a present that leaves no room for the future.
Â
Â
*The GAP is a project planned during the '70s for the economic development of Southeastern Anatolia and for controlling the flow of water directed towards Syria and Iraq.