06 August 2018•Update: 06 August 2018
By Selman Tur and Muhyeddin Beyca
BATMAN, Turkey
A 13th-century Turkish bath, or hammam, was relocated Monday to a new site to save it from flooding when a new dam opens in southeastern Turkey.
A 256-wheeler flatbed truck moved the 1,500-ton ancient Artuqid-era bath for six hours, starting at dawn, to a cultural park in the town of Hasankeyf in the Batman province.
The bath was carried to some 3 kilometers away from its original spot.
"Six more monuments will also be transported. Hasankeyf will protect its historical identity," Ahmet Deniz, Batman’s governor, told Anadolu Agency.
After completion of the moving process, an event was held with the participation of Agriculture and Forestry Minister Bekir Pakdemirli.
Speaking there, Pakdemirli said Ilisu Dam is one of Turkey's goals for its 2023 centennial and will make great contributions to the economy.
Pakdemirli said the dam’s price tag is 12 billion Turkish liras ($2.3 billion) and will boast annual electricity production worth 2 billion liras ($386 million).
The reservoir created by the Ilisu dam project will swamp parts of Hasankeyf, 32 km (20 m.) southeast of the provincial capital Batman.
Hasankeyf was declared a conservation area in 1981. There are nearly 6,000 caves around the town that contain the remnants of Christian and Muslim worship, as well as a Byzantine fortress.
