The last inhabitants had to watch as their centuries-old culture disappeared.

In south-eastern Turkey, the last inhabitants of Hasankeyf are watching their home disappear into the waters of the Tigris. For Turkish President Erdoğan, the construction of the Ilisu Dam is a prestige project. Its goal is to bring modernization. But it is also an expression of the president’s political power. 

Hundreds of villages in the predominantly Kurdish region were flooded by the reservoir. In 2020, the small town of Hasankeyf, with its iconic cave dwellings and unique cultural history, was also flooded. Archaeological treasures that bear witness to 12,000 years of settlement history in the region in Anatolia are probably lost forever. 

The inhabitants of Hasankeyf have been forcibly resettled. Instead of living in their traditional houses, they now live in purpose-built developments - soulless houses made of concrete. Shepherd Rengin was forced to give up her flock: Animal husbandry is not allowed in her new home. Burak the barber is also finding it difficult to cope with his new everyday life. Along with their ancestral homes, the people of Hasankeyf have also lost their parts of their community -- and identity.

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