**MegaStarkan**
18-04-09, 12:35
Activists in bid to dissuade gov't from wiping out Hasankeyf
http://medya.todayszaman.com/todayszaman/2009/04/17/hasankeyf-01.jpg
It was August 2006 when construction of Ilısu Dam in the district of Hasankeyf officially began with a groundbreaking ceremony, with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan personally launching construction of the dam, which is expected to change the landscape of the area dramatically.
Almost 80 percent of the town of Hasankeyf will be submerged under the waters of the dam, and 199 communities will have to be relocated. The prime minister said at the time that the government would preserve the cultural legacy of Anatolia, explaining: "We can't sacrifice the precious artifacts in Hasankeyf. We have 25 million euros of funds to be used in saving Hasankeyf. We will create a new Hasankeyf by moving all its artifacts to another area."
Over time, debates over whether Ilısu Dam would be a gold necklace for the Tigris or a rope around Hasankeyf's neck grew louder.
In late December of last year, the foreign backers of the dam ordered that work be stopped as it failed to meet international standards. Then, in a joint statement, the project's German, Swiss and Austrian underwriters said they had ordered suppliers to suspend work on the dam for 180 days due to concerns that the project was not up to World Bank standards. The German, Austrian and Swiss governments had agreed that the project must meet some 150 conditions involving the environment, relocation, cultural heritage and neighboring states.
A delegation from the Doğa Derneği (DD, Nature Society in English) -- a nongovernmental organization registered in Turkey that is a partner of BirdLife International -- along with scientists and renowned pop star Tarkan Tevetoğlu met with Culture and Tourism Minister Ertuğrul Günay yesterday and introduced a report that explains in detail how Hasankeyf fulfills nine of the 10 criteria set by UNESCO for inclusion on its World Heritage List.
To be included on the World Heritage List, sites must be of outstanding universal value and meet at least one out of 10 selection criteria.
The report presented by DD also elaborates on how some of the world's most famous archaeological sites fulfill less then nine criteria. The Great Wall of China fulfills five criteria, while Egypt's Memphis and its necropolis -- the field of pyramids from Giza to Dahshur -- fulfill three and India's Taj Mahal meets only one criterion.
Erkut Ertürk, the coordinator of DD's campaign to stop the Ilısu Dam project, speaking with Today's Zaman following their meeting with Günay, sounded optimistic, noting that the minister approached them very positively and was particularly impressed by the report.
http://medya.todayszaman.com/todayszaman/2009/04/17/hasankeyf-02.jpg
Culture and Tourism Minister Ertuğrul Günay (R) received Nature Society President Güven Eken (L) and pop superstar Tarkan in his office yesterday.
"When we consider that properties which we all know -- the Egyptian pyramids, the Great Wall of China, Cappadocia and Machu Picchu -- are on UNESCO's World Heritage List via fulfilling, respectively, three, five and four criteria, we better comprehend the significance of Hasankeyf and the Tigris Valley," Tarkan told reporters following the meeting. "The Tigris Valley is already entitled to be included on this list."
Ertürk told Today's Zaman that Tarkan, during the meeting, elaborated on how the idea of preserving Hasankeyf by moving all its artifacts to another area was not scientific at all and pledged to Günay that he would do his best to contribute to the protection of Hasankeyf.
"If need be, I will work as a cultural envoy," Tarkan told Günay.
In response, Günay said he was ready to support DD's efforts as long as the current scientific approach and dialogue are maintained. The government cannot stop a major project like Ilısu overnight, but is ready to be persuaded by civil society to do so in the long run, Günay indicated while speaking with the delegation.
The World Heritage List criteria that Hasankeyf fulfills are as follows: "represent a masterpiece of human creative genius"; "exhibit an important interchange of human values, over a span of time or within a cultural area of the world, on developments in architecture or technology, monumental arts, town-planning or landscape design"; "bear a unique or at least exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition or to a civilization which is living or which has disappeared"; "be an outstanding example of a type of building, architectural or technological ensemble or landscape which illustrates (a) significant stage(s) in human history"; "be an outstanding example of a traditional human settlement, land-use, or sea-use which is representative of a culture (or cultures), or human interaction with the environment especially when it has become vulnerable under the impact of irreversible change"; "contain superlative natural phenomena or areas of exceptional natural beauty and aesthetic importance"; "be outstanding examples representing major stages of earth's history, including the record of life, significant on-going geological processes in the development of landforms, or significant geomorphic or physiographic features"; "be outstanding examples representing significant on-going ecological and biological processes in the evolution and development of terrestrial, fresh water, coastal and marine ecosystems and communities of plants and animals"; and "contain the most important and significant natural habitats for in-situ conservation of biological diversity, including those containing threatened species of outstanding universal value from the point of view of science or conservation."
Source: Today's Zaman (http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/detaylar.do?load=detay&link=172673)
http://medya.todayszaman.com/todayszaman/2009/04/17/hasankeyf-01.jpg
It was August 2006 when construction of Ilısu Dam in the district of Hasankeyf officially began with a groundbreaking ceremony, with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan personally launching construction of the dam, which is expected to change the landscape of the area dramatically.
Almost 80 percent of the town of Hasankeyf will be submerged under the waters of the dam, and 199 communities will have to be relocated. The prime minister said at the time that the government would preserve the cultural legacy of Anatolia, explaining: "We can't sacrifice the precious artifacts in Hasankeyf. We have 25 million euros of funds to be used in saving Hasankeyf. We will create a new Hasankeyf by moving all its artifacts to another area."
Over time, debates over whether Ilısu Dam would be a gold necklace for the Tigris or a rope around Hasankeyf's neck grew louder.
In late December of last year, the foreign backers of the dam ordered that work be stopped as it failed to meet international standards. Then, in a joint statement, the project's German, Swiss and Austrian underwriters said they had ordered suppliers to suspend work on the dam for 180 days due to concerns that the project was not up to World Bank standards. The German, Austrian and Swiss governments had agreed that the project must meet some 150 conditions involving the environment, relocation, cultural heritage and neighboring states.
A delegation from the Doğa Derneği (DD, Nature Society in English) -- a nongovernmental organization registered in Turkey that is a partner of BirdLife International -- along with scientists and renowned pop star Tarkan Tevetoğlu met with Culture and Tourism Minister Ertuğrul Günay yesterday and introduced a report that explains in detail how Hasankeyf fulfills nine of the 10 criteria set by UNESCO for inclusion on its World Heritage List.
To be included on the World Heritage List, sites must be of outstanding universal value and meet at least one out of 10 selection criteria.
The report presented by DD also elaborates on how some of the world's most famous archaeological sites fulfill less then nine criteria. The Great Wall of China fulfills five criteria, while Egypt's Memphis and its necropolis -- the field of pyramids from Giza to Dahshur -- fulfill three and India's Taj Mahal meets only one criterion.
Erkut Ertürk, the coordinator of DD's campaign to stop the Ilısu Dam project, speaking with Today's Zaman following their meeting with Günay, sounded optimistic, noting that the minister approached them very positively and was particularly impressed by the report.
http://medya.todayszaman.com/todayszaman/2009/04/17/hasankeyf-02.jpg
Culture and Tourism Minister Ertuğrul Günay (R) received Nature Society President Güven Eken (L) and pop superstar Tarkan in his office yesterday.
"When we consider that properties which we all know -- the Egyptian pyramids, the Great Wall of China, Cappadocia and Machu Picchu -- are on UNESCO's World Heritage List via fulfilling, respectively, three, five and four criteria, we better comprehend the significance of Hasankeyf and the Tigris Valley," Tarkan told reporters following the meeting. "The Tigris Valley is already entitled to be included on this list."
Ertürk told Today's Zaman that Tarkan, during the meeting, elaborated on how the idea of preserving Hasankeyf by moving all its artifacts to another area was not scientific at all and pledged to Günay that he would do his best to contribute to the protection of Hasankeyf.
"If need be, I will work as a cultural envoy," Tarkan told Günay.
In response, Günay said he was ready to support DD's efforts as long as the current scientific approach and dialogue are maintained. The government cannot stop a major project like Ilısu overnight, but is ready to be persuaded by civil society to do so in the long run, Günay indicated while speaking with the delegation.
The World Heritage List criteria that Hasankeyf fulfills are as follows: "represent a masterpiece of human creative genius"; "exhibit an important interchange of human values, over a span of time or within a cultural area of the world, on developments in architecture or technology, monumental arts, town-planning or landscape design"; "bear a unique or at least exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition or to a civilization which is living or which has disappeared"; "be an outstanding example of a type of building, architectural or technological ensemble or landscape which illustrates (a) significant stage(s) in human history"; "be an outstanding example of a traditional human settlement, land-use, or sea-use which is representative of a culture (or cultures), or human interaction with the environment especially when it has become vulnerable under the impact of irreversible change"; "contain superlative natural phenomena or areas of exceptional natural beauty and aesthetic importance"; "be outstanding examples representing major stages of earth's history, including the record of life, significant on-going geological processes in the development of landforms, or significant geomorphic or physiographic features"; "be outstanding examples representing significant on-going ecological and biological processes in the evolution and development of terrestrial, fresh water, coastal and marine ecosystems and communities of plants and animals"; and "contain the most important and significant natural habitats for in-situ conservation of biological diversity, including those containing threatened species of outstanding universal value from the point of view of science or conservation."
Source: Today's Zaman (http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/detaylar.do?load=detay&link=172673)