Hasankeyf Cultural Park (Relocated Monuments)

Hasankeyf Cultural Park, officially the New Hasankeyf Archaeopark, is an open-air conservation site that gathers the monuments rescued before the Ilisu Dam reservoir submerged most of the ancient town on the banks of the Tigris.

Location and Establishment

It sits on safe high ground about two kilometres north of old Hasankeyf, beside the purpose-built new settlement, and is the most visible outcome of the large relocation project carried out ahead of the flooding.

History: Relocated Monuments

The park's story begins in 2017, when the roughly 1,150-tonne Aq Qoyunlu-era Zeynel Bey Tomb was moved in a single piece to its present spot on eight SPMT modular transporters, becoming the first monument installed here. It was followed by the Imam Abdullah Zawiya, the minaret of the Suleyman Han Mosque, a stone gateway and fountain section, the Kizlar Mosque, the Artuqid Bath, the central gate of the castle, and the minaret of the El-Rizk Mosque, so that around eight structures spanning the Ayyubid, Artuqid and Aq Qoyunlu periods now stand in a single walkable enclosure.

Architecture and Cultural Significance

Architecturally the heart of the park is the cylindrical Zeynel Bey Tomb, whose turquoise and cobalt glazed tiles make it the only example of the Central Asian-Iranian style in Anatolia; the work of the Iranian architect Pir Hasan, it contrasts sharply with the plainer stone monuments around it. Its cultural importance lies in keeping alive the memory of a 12,000-year-old heritage that a dam erased, so the park reads both as a conservation success and as a memorial to loss.

Visiting, Access and Highlights

Its tourist value is high because visitors see many landmark structures quickly on flat, orderly ground, which is exactly why agencies favour it: bus access is easy, walking distances are short and timing is predictable. The average visit lasts 45 minutes to 1.5 hours, and the site is usually added as a half-day Hasankeyf stop on combined Mardin-Diyarbakir GAP tours, typically the first stop after Batman Museum before continuing to the castle, cave city and a Tigris boat trip. Nearby are the new Hasankeyf Museum, the rock tombs, the Ilisu reservoir shore and the boat pier. The best photo spots are the tiled facade of the Zeynel Bey Tomb and angles that frame it against the reservoir behind.

Access is by paved road, about 38 km from Batman and 42 km from Midyat, and the park car park suits tour coaches. Because the ground is largely flat and firm, wheelchair and disabled access is easier here than at other Hasankeyf sites. The best seasons are spring and autumn, since midsummer midday heat is tiring, and the peak periods are April-June and September-October. A recommended route runs from the entrance to the Zeynel Bey Tomb, then to the Artuqid Bath and Imam Abdullah Zawiya, finishing with the relocated minarets.