Ancient Thermal City to Be Flooded in Turkey

[Dover]

Ancient Thermal City to Be Flooded in Turkey
23/06/2005

Archeologists, environmentalists and international NGOs are joining together to try to find a way to save an 1,800-year-old archeological site, due to be flooded this November by the waters from a new dam.
By Allan Cove for Southeast European Times – 23/06/05

The world's oldest known ancient thermal city, Allianoi, stands to be flooded when the Yortanli Dam begins operation this November. Located in the very centre of the planned dam lake, it will be submerged under some 17 metres of water. If no solution is found, Turkey may lose a significant historical site.

To help save the 1,800-year-old city, environmentalists and other volunteers have formed the Allianoi Initiative Group, with the slogan "Don't Let Allianoi Be Flooded".

"A 2,000-year history is being sacrificed for a 50 to 60-year-old project. We don't say that the dam should not be constructed, but the project should be modified in a way that will prevent Allianoi from being ruined," says the group's spokesman, Arif Ali Cangi.

..snip..

Throughout history, Allianoi was known as the "native land of the health god Asklepion". Established in the Hellenistic Age, it achieved prominence in the 2nd century under the rule of the Roman Emperor Hadrianus. For over 15 centuries, it enjoyed the reputation of an excellent healing centre, with spring waters in the therapeutic 45 to 55 centigrade range...cont'd

http://www.setimes.com/cocoon/setimes/xhtml/en_GB/features/setimes/features/2005/06/23/feature-03

[Dead_Parrot]

1. Reminds me of Douglas Adams....

"Dams almost never do what they were intended to do, but create devestation beyond belief. And yet we keep on building them, and I can't help but wonder why. I'm convinced that if we went back far enough in the history of the human species, we will find some beaver genes creeping in there somewhere. It's the only explaination that makes sense."

(Virgin.net interview, reprinted in The Salmon of Doubt)