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Hasankeyf is a town on the banks of the Tigris River in Southeastern Anatolia. It has a rich history that has now been submerged as part of the Ilısu Dam project.
Introduction to Hasankeyf
Hasankeyf was a fortified town known as Ciphas (Κίφας) during the Roman and Byzantine periods. It was conquered by the Arabs in 640 and the name changed to Hisn Kayfa, and it became an important regional capital in the early 10th century. The Artuqids ruled from 1102 to 1232, followed by the Ayyubids and Mongols until 1462. The Aq Qoyunlu took control until 1501, then the Safavids for a brief period before the Ottomans conquered the town in 1516.
Hasankeyf was almost exclusively an Arab town while Kurds populated the nearby villages. Armenian, Syriac, and Arab Christians lived in cave houses by the river until the 1980s. The name of the town was Turkified to Hasankeyf in the 1930s as part of Atatürk’s Reforms.
Against considerable local and international opposition, the Turkish government relocated the residents to the new settlement across the river. Construction on the Ilısu Dam began in 2009, and by July 2020, the entire town and traces of nine civilizations were completely submerged.
Getting to Hasankeyf
If you don’t have your own transportation, you can try joining a guided tour from Mardin or Diyarbakır. You can also hop on a minibus from Batman and get dropped off in Hasankeyf.
What to See in Hasankeyf
Although the original town is gone, it’s well worth stopping to see the remains of the town and take a river cruise. Some of the architectural treasures have been relocated to the Hasankeyf Archaeological Park just outside the museum. What’s left of the citadel was being prepared as an open-air museum during my visit. Workers were placing interpretive signs in front of some of the structures and building paths through the ruins. I’ll have to go back and see it another time.
Hasankeyf Museum
In my opinion, the best place to start exploring Hasankeyf is the Hasankeyf Museum (Hasankeyf Müzesi). Not only does it contain artifacts from every civilization to have ruled the town, but you’ll also see items discovered at other settlements nearby. The artifacts range from the Paleolithic period to the end of the Ottoman period in the early 20th century. The museum is very nicely presented with interactive exhibits and well written information. The Hasankeyf Museum is open daily and admission for foreigners is €3 (as of September 2024).
Paleolithic Period
The first gallery on the ground floor covers the natural history of the region up to the Paleolithic period. This includes the geology, flora and fauna, and various stone artifacts.
To aid the exhibit, there are a handful of detailed models depicting Paleolithic settlements in the region, such as Hasankeyf Höyük, Körtik Tepe, and Hallan Çemi.
Neolithic Period
Next is a gallery focusing on the Neolithic period, including an example of a Neolithic village. This section focuses on the development of civilization, with the advent of agriculture, domestication of animals, and the establishment of permanent settlements.
Uruk Pottery
Continuing along is an interactive map of settlements near Hasankeyf followed by a display on Uruk pottery, which was made by using molds dug into the ground. Uruk pottery dominated the last phase of the Chalcolithic period from 3900 to 3100 BC. It’s named for the south Mesopotamian city of Uruk in modern day Iraq. Most of this type of pottery discovered in Southeastern Anatolia was produced locally.
Early Bronze Age
The next gallery covers the Early Bronze Age. There are models of both a copper mine and copper workshops. Artifacts on display include spearheads and figurative spoons. Most items in the gallery were discovered at Başur Höyük.
Some of the most impressive items are ceremonial scepters with goat and bull figurines. There are also a few terracotta jars as well as jewelry and bead strands.
A few displays cover the growth of Neolithic villages into urban communities, with food storage, grain milling, and animal husbandry becoming more important. It also delves into the Secondary Product Revolution, when humans realized animals had more to offer than just meat, fur, and skin. This includes using animals for milk and dairy products as well as physical power. The Secondary Product Revolution greatly improved quality of life and contributed to the progress of future generations.
The gallery rounds out with a display on burial customs, which were formed during the Early Bronze Age based on political, social and technological developments. As settlements grew into cities, intramural burials beneath homes or courtyards was gradually replaced by extramural burials. Pit graves and stone cists containing single and multiple burials made up most Early Bronze Age tombs. The graves included offerings left next to the body, which was placed in a sitting or squatting position. Wealthy individuals were often buried with their servants.
Late Bronze Age
Heading upstairs, the first gallery focuses on the Late Bronze Age. There are terracotta jars, jewelry, and clay tablets from the Neo-Assyrian period on display from various settlements. Neo-Assyrian pottery was shaped on a potter’s wheel and fired in kilns.
Persian through Byzantine Periods
Next are two small rooms covering the Persian through Byzantine periods in Hasankeyf. Information and artifacts from the Persian period, Alexander the Great and the Seleucid Kingdom, and the Roman and Byzantine periods shed light on life under those civilizations.
Çattepe
The exhibits continue with a model of Çattepe Harbor, which is now completely submerged. Çattepe, known as Tell Fafan, was an important port on the Tigris River during the Roman and Byzantine periods. Goods were transferred from the port through Mosul to Baghdad. It was burned down and the people were slaughtered in 915-916. After this event, Hasankeyf became the capital of the region.
Rock-Cut Dwelling
In the next room is a walk-in example of a rock-cut dwelling. Hundreds of these caves can be found around Hasankeyf. They were used as residences, mosques, churches, workshops, cisterns, tombs, storage, and shops.
The number of rooms depended on the size of the family, and they were usually carved high enough for people to move around freely while standing. On the walls are niches for candles or oil lamps and storage areas for bedding and other items. In the kitchen are furnaces for cooking and niches to keep kitchen utensils. Small water channels allowed water to flow in from a cistern, and there were chimneys and windows for ventilation.
Ayyubid and Artuqid Periods
Continuing along is an exhibit on the Ayyubid and Artuqid periods. The first section focuses on the architecture and innovations of the period, complete with models of some of the most important structures in Hasankeyf.
Also on display is a model of a water clock as well as pottery and examples of inscriptions on tombstones. The inscriptions were made in Arabic.
The exhibit rounds out with religious items used in mosques such as candlesticks and oil lamps. One of the most important items is the dome crescent from the Imam Abdullah Zawiyah.
Coin Collection of the Hasankeyf Museum
A small section of the Hasankeyf Museum is set aside for the coin collection. It displays coins from the different civilizations that ruled the town as well as nearby kingdoms.
Aq Qoyunlu Period
A model of the Tomb of Zeynel Bey represents the Aq Qoyunlu period. They briefly ruled Hasankeyf from 1462 to 1501. The tomb is all that’s left of their presence.
Ottoman Period
The final section of the Hasankeyf Museum covers the Ottoman period. It’s more of an ethnographic section, with clothing, jewelry, and household items.
There are also scenes of locals going about their daily business, including a fruit and clothing vendors as well as a man delivering goods with a donkey.
Hasankeyf Archaeological Park
Between the Hasankeyf Museum and the modern town is the Hasankeyf Archaeological Park (Hasankeyf Arkeoloji Parkı). Eight of the most important structures from the old town have been relocated there. When we visited, the park wasn’t completely ready so we were unable to get up close to the buildings. Hopefully on my next trip I can approach them and add more information here.
Ayyubid Mosques
First, on the side of the museum are two Ayyubid mosques. One is the Koç Mosque (Koç Camii), which was built around 1360. Behind it is the Kızlar Mosque (Kızlar Camii), built at the end of the 14th century.
Next is the Süleyman Han Mosque (Süleyman Han Camii), which was built by the Ayyubid Sultan Süleyman in 1407. The complex consisted of the mosque, a madrasa, and a soup kitchen as well as the tomb of Süleyman, which has not survived. The minaret is 36 meters high and features Arabic inscriptions.
Further away is the Er-rızk Mosque (Er-rızk Camii). It was built in 1409 by Sultan Süleyman, and the minaret and entrance portal have survived intact.
Other Structures
You can cross a modern version of the Hasankeyf Bridge to reach the other structures, which include the late 13th century Imam Abdullah Zawiya (İmam Abdullah Zaviyesi) and the early 13th century Artuqid Bath (Artuklu Hamamı).
Tomb of Zeynel Bey
The only building we could get up close to is the Tomb of Zeynel Bey (Zeynel Bey Türbesi), which was relocated in 2017. It was built for the son of Uzun Hasan (1423-1478), the ruler of the Aq Qoyunlu dynasty, who died in battle in 1473.
The tomb is circular and resembles Central Asian mausoleums. It’s beautifully decorated with glazed navy blue and turquoise tiles.
In front of the tomb are the foundations of other buildings that you can freely walk through.
Cruises to Old Hasankeyf
Downhill from the Hasankeyf Museum is Hasankeyf Pier (Hasankeyf Limanı). From there, you can catch a touristic cruise on the Tigris River to see Hasankeyf from the water. Boats leave when they have enough people and charge 100₺ per person (as of August 2024) for a 60-minute ride.
You can also hire a private boat for 3,000₺, but if you haggle you can knock the price down 20-25%. Private boats run for about 90 minutes but generally aren’t worth the price unless you have a large group. They take the same route as the other boats.
Caves
The first part of Hasankeyf the boat cruises past are the caves. In front of the caves you’ll notice a structure with a shelter above it. That’s the Yamaç Complex (Yamaç Külliyesi). It consisted of a mosque, a madrasa, and a bath, but has largely been destroyed. The caves themselves looked like they were being prepared for tourism at the time of our visit.
Hasankeyf Citadel
The boat continues past the citadel, which was built on a rock 135 meters high. There were five monumental entrances and it contained several structures from the Roman, Artuqid, Ayyubid, and Ottoman periods. The citadel was densely inhabited during the Middle Ages and featured narrow streets, wells, and cisterns. It was abandoned in 1970.
The northeast side of the citadel had a large palace and homes and the west side had homes for civil servants. The south side has a cemetery, a mausoleum, and the Grand Mosque of Hasankeyf (Hasankeyf Ulu Camii), while the east side contained mosques, madrasas, and other religious and social buildings.
End of the Cruise
At the end of the cruise, we went into a beautiful inlet with caves lining the cliffside above. After passing a huge rock wall and entering another inlet, we passed the citadel one more time on our way back to Hasankeyf Pier. I’ll leave you with several photos from this portion of the cruise:
