Home is where history is

This is one of the legs of the 3000 year old ancient bridge of Hasankeyf on Tigris River. And also home of a local villager. The archeologist of the site told us that in 1950s the Turkish government distributed deeds without assesing the land and this family happened to be given the deed of one of the oldest bridges of history. Many artifacts in the area, such the hamam, some tombs and others also are private property of the locals. Strange but true:)

I took this photo with full zoom from the old palace carved from rocks and oversees the river Tigris. The government has signed a deal with an international concorcium to built a dam. German, Swiss and Austrian banks agreed to give loans for the dam project. I can't stop to wonder if these banks would still be a part of a project that will flod one of the most important cities of history in Mesopotamia and force more than 50,000 people to be displaced if it was in their country. Turkish government officials say they need the dam for energy.