Via Hasankeyf to Tatvan

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Hitch-hiking from Mardin to Tatvan I made a short stop in the ancient (3000 years old) settlement of Hasankeyf. When we drove into the little village my Iraqi driver motioned that he was stopping to go to the hairdresser and whether it was a problem for me to wait. Passing up on the funny story of going to the hairdresser while hitch-hiking I opted for a cup of coffee and a chat with the personnel of the cafe about the plans to build a dam and artificial lake; which will flood the area and destroy part of this world heritage site.

View on the settlements in the rocks of Hasankeyf.
Yes, that sign really says 'Batman'... (which is the next big town after Hasankeyf).
Walking through Batman I came across a familiar camper van (see Mt. Nemrut update); I joined the German guy for lunch and since he happened to go the same direction this resulted in a direct ride to my destination for the day.
Which was the city of Tatvan, on the shore of lake Van. The lake itself lies at 1700m, while the mountains surrounding it reach over 3000m!
Lake Van is so big that you cannot see the mountains on the far end.

1 thought on “Via Hasankeyf to Tatvan”

  1. again – great photos – I like the lake with the endless mouth – the camper and hairdresser – yours’ is a good testimonial for hitch-hiking – great

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