Hasankeyf (pronounced has-AN-kayf) has an abundance of history, more than 12,000 years of it, dating back to the Neolithic period, when it was the site of one of the world’s first organized human settlements. The empires that came later all left their imprints: Byzantines, Romans, Seljuks, Ottomans. The archaeological highlight is a citadel, on high ground overlooking the river, and while that will stay above the water, scientists worry that over time its limestone base, which is porous, will erode and ultimately collapse.
