Archaeological excavations have started at the historical castle of Hasankeyf in southeastern Turkey’s Batman province in order to shed more light on the ancient history of the site that stands as one of the oldest settlements in the world.
The third period of the excavations, led by Zekai Erdal, associate professor in the Art History Department of Mardin Artuklu University’s Faculty of Literature, has begun at the ancient site, which is home to a 12,000-year history and an uninterrupted life cycle from the Middle Ages to the present.
Erdal said that only the lower part of the ancient city was submerged in water from the dam, which bears the name of professor Veysel Eroğlu. The upper part of the town, which once was the citadel, is still standing.
Erdal said that excavations at the site had first begun back in the 1980s and that this time around their aim was to unearth the actual boundaries of the Roman-era garrison structure, which was called the grand palace.
“The Hasankeyf Castle should be considered as a whole together with the valley and structures around it. Our castle covers an area of 110 decares (27 acres),” Erdal told Anadolu Agency (AA).
“The best example of this is Ephesus. Excavations in Ephesus have been going on for more than 100 years. Hasankeyf also has a capacity that can last for hundreds of years in this context,” he added
