The historic Turkish bath house (hamam) “Artuklu” in the southeastern town of Hasankeyf in Batman governorate has been relocated to a cultural park in the same town.
This move aims to protect the ancient monument from the construction work of the Ilisu Dam project on the Tigris River, which will completely submerge the village.
The ancient “hamam” weighs 1,500 tons, and its relocation required two hours and 15 minutes.
Batman Governor Ahmet Deniz said the process of moving the historic building was an example to the world.
He noted that after the Artuklu Hamam, six more monuments will be transferred, adding that Hasankeyf will truly keep its historic identity.
For his part, Murat Ajo, head of Turkey’s water department said the relocation of the bath that dates back to the 13th century, comes one year after the relocation of the 550-year-old Zeynel Bey tomb in the same region.
Zeynel Bey is the son of Uzun Hassan, head of a Turkic tribe that ruled Eastern Anatolia, Azerbaijan, Iraq, Afghanistan and areas in Central Asia between 1467 and 1502.
The tomb is the last trace of the tribe’s history. Zeynel Bey was killed in 1473 during a battle against the Ottoman Empire.
In May 2017, his tomb’s relocation was made upon a decision by the Ministry of Forest and Water Management to protect it from flooding.
The name of Hasankeyf village, which dates back about 10,000 years, was inspired by its houses sculpted in the rocks. Back then, the Syriacs called it Kiva, and Arabs later named it the fortress of Kiva.
In the late Ottoman Empire its name became Hasankeyf, which is still being used.
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