Forestry and Waterworks Minister Veysel Eroðlu and Finance Minister Mehmet Þimþek met with protests from the Initiative to Sustain Hasankeyf and the Nature Association during a visit they paid to the ancient city of Hasankeyf, a settlement dating back to at least 12,000 years ago and which is to be inundated under the Ilýsu Dam Reservoir.

Minister Eroðlu and Þimþek claimed the Ilýsu Dam represented "an opportunity to save Hasankeyf" which would turn into a center of attraction and tourism. "A father would not bestow his son with such a [gift] as this," they said.

"We told them for years to come over here, see this open air museum and breathe its air before making a decision," said Ömer Faruk Akyüz, a member of the Initiative to Sustain Hasankeyf to Bianet.org.

The occasion marks the very first time Minister Eroðlu has come to visit the town.

Hasankeyf is the only place in the world that meets nine of the ten criteria set forth by the UNESCO World Heritage Center, and nothing would justify its inundation, Akyüz said.

"The government is yet to explain to us how the historical structures here are going to be moved. They should stop accusing us of being against development and the dam. Let them come here and discuss with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and the locals about how we are going to save Hasankeyf and carry it into the future," he added.

"They talk about doing water sports over the reservoir and the kilowatts per hour the dam will provide. They could hardly be any further than seeing the people's reality." Akyüz said.