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The millennial city of Hasankeyf on the banks of the Tigris is destined to be swallowed up under water. Yasin AKGUL / AFP

The small city of Hasankeyf, inhabited since 12 000 years, is doomed to disappear in the coming months under an artificial lake. Defenders of the ancient city held this Saturday, September 14th a global day of action on social networks.

With our correspondent in Istanbul, Anne Andlauer

" It's not too late for Hasankeyf, " it was claimed in Turkish on social networks, at 8pm and throughout the day, hundreds of netizens, sometimes sharing drawings.

It may not be too late, but the defenders of Hasankeyf, a twelve-thousand-year-old ancient city in Turkey's predominantly Kurdish southeast, face a race against time. They have tried once more - perhaps one of the last - to alert the public, failing to convince the Turkish government.

This summer, the authorities began filling a gigantic hydroelectric dam downstream of the site. Soon, its waters will swallow the treasures of Hasankeyf, vestiges of the civilizations that flourished in this city crossed by the Tigris. The government argues that this project will provide the energy and irrigation needed for economic development in the southeast.

But for archaeologists, environmentalists and local residents, the impoundment of this dam is a disaster. At least 60,000 people will be displaced, including 3,000 in Hasankeyf itself. A delegation of the main Turkish opposition party, visiting on site, called for the classification of the UNESCO World Heritage Site.