Turkish novelists protest dam

Despite withdrawal of international monetary support, the Turkish government will proceed with construction of the controversial Ilisu Dam in the southeast of the country.

Novelists Orhan Pamuk and Yasar Kemal, as well as pop singer Tarsan, have protested its erection because they say it lacks sufficient funds, proper environmental planning, and a resettlement plan for the citizens of nearby Hasankeyf, a ten thousand-year-old city with a majority Kurd population. The city, which has spanned nine civilizations, will be largely destroyed by the proposed dam, along with its cave churches, mosques, and Islamic tombs.

The World Monuments Fund listed the ancient city as one of the hundred most endangered historical cities in 2008.