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THE HASANKEYF WORKSHOP
ANOTHER INTERNATIONAL PROJECT OF PERIPATOS
The Hasankeyf Workshop – Hasankeyf Atölyeleri – Αn initiative to socially empower women of Hasankeyf in eastern Turkey through art workshops to express themselves and communicate the cultural heritage of their beautiful, historic village.
The project:
In order to link the economic and social growth of the women to the archaeological site of Hasankeyf, we designed The Hasankeyf Workshop project, where we provide the participants with the opportunity to develop their own creative activity, inspired by their hometown through art and crafts lessons. The importance of this initiative is twofold and reflects an equally twofold need. On one hand, through workshops of photography and handicrafts, we support the self-expression and personal development of the women of this local community, on the other hand their own creativity becomes a means of advocating the cultural heritage of Hasankeyf.
The social isolation and unemployment of women in the greater Batman region is the largest in Turkey with only 12.3% of them participating in paid work. Combined with social stereotypes about women’s position and the high percentage of girls dropping out their education after completing primary education, the need for creative outlets in a safe environment that cultivates the social and communication skills of women of all ages are some of the facts that led us to implement this programme.
Hasankeyf:
37 kilometers south of the industrial city of Batman is the archaeological site and the small town of Hasankeyf. It is a traditional village on the banks of Tigris River, in Southeast Turkey combining natural beauty with long history. Particularly famous for the more than 300 medieval monuments and the thousands of man-made caves it is surrounded with, which functioned as a permanent or temporary settlement for the local population.
Due to its morphology it was named “Hısnı Keyfa”, which comes from Arabic – Syriac and means “The City of the Rocks” or “The City of the Caves”. The first historical mention of the village comes from Byzantine records referring to it as “Cepha”, without being certain when and by whom it was founded.
The numerous and diverse architectural and archaeological remains indicate the presence of various civilizations. Archaeological excavations have brought to light prehistoric settlements. Hasankeyf functioned as a prominent military base for the Roman Empire (2nd century AD) for control of the wider region. Starting from the 7th century AD, it passed under the rule of various Muslim dynasties such as of the Umayyads, the Abbasids, the Hamdanis and the Mervanis respectively. In 1101 AD Sökmen, descendant of Artuq, one of the commanders of the Seljuq Empire founded the Hısn-ı Keyfa Artukid State and so Hasankeyf became the capital of Artukids (Artukid Beyliks) for over 130 years. During the Mongolian invasion in 1260 AD the biggest part of the city was destroyed, after which it never resumed it’s former glory. In 1517 AD the region was included in the Ottoman dominion. The Ottoman records refer to it as a rich city with 9,500 residents.
Hasankeyf’s geographical location plays an important part in becoming a prosperous commercial center along the Silk Road and in developing a community of skilled ceramics craftsmen and tradesmen, with two ceramic ateliers, the Salahiye Gardens (Salahiye Bahçeleri) and the Beach Palace (Sahil Sarayı) being the most well-known.
Despite its historical and cultural significance, it is an archaeological site under threat because of the Ilisu hydroelectric dam that most likely will begin operations in 2018. For this project, a total of 185 settlements need to be evacuated, including Hasankeyf, as the whole area will flood, submerging the entire cultural heritage of the region and disrupting its social cohesion. Instead, the so-called new Hasankeyf has been built nearby to accommodate the forced migration of the population. The making of the Ilisu hydroelectric dam is part of the largest development project in South East Turkey, the GAP project.
Scientific documentation:
The designing of the project was based on the principles of Public Archaeology, an approach to archeology that aims to include non-special audiences in safeguarding and managing cultural heritage. Initially we wanted to encourage the women of the area to participate in promoting and protecting the historical and cultural values of Hasankeyf, especially due to the imminent threat of its destruction. The purpose of the project has evolved into an opportunity for socialization and self-expression of the women, inspired by the everyday life and the timeless values of Hasankeyf highlighting, at the same time the social, gender and financial problems they face.
Project partners:
The Hasankeyf Workshop project is a co-production of Peripatos (Athens) and the association Özgür Kadin Kolektifi (Batman),with the support of NGO Diadrasis (Athens) and Tandem Turkey programme. This strategic partnership with the women from Özgür Kadin Kolektifi is based on common interests in the promotion of cultural heritage and the strengthening of the role of women in protecting and managing it.
Our project could not have taken place without the support of Tandem Turkey programme.
Tandem – Cultural Managers Exchange Turkey – EU is an initiative of the European Cultural Foundation (Amsterdam), MitÖst (Berlin) και Anadolu Kültür (Istanbul), and funded by Stiftung Mercator (Essen). Tandem Turkey aims at establishing long-term partnerships between cultural organisations from Turkey and the EU countries.
Special thanks to Hüseyin Eryurt from the NGO Turkey’s Culture Routes Society for his mentorship and support.
Follow us once more on an international, cultural promenade with The Hasankeyf Workshop-Hasankeyf Atölyeleri.
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