HASANKEYF URBANISM AND HISTORY

HASANKEYF ŞEHİRCİLİK VE TARİHİ

Abstract

Hasankeyf is located in the southeastern part of Anatolia within the borders of Batman province. When we look at the historical past of Hasankeyf, the geographical structure in which it was founded and the Tigris River that literally surrounds the city, it is seen that there has been a settlement here since ancient times. In this context, the fact that Hasankeyf hill has Neolithic features and the inner castle protects the stone foundations of the Urartu-Assyrian period is also due to the fact that Hasankeyf is suitable for settlement. The name Hasankeyf is first found in Syriac sources. Hasankeyf later became an important battlefield in the Roman-Persian Deconfliction with the constant exchange of personnel between these provinces. While these wars were going on, the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Emperor II. Constantine (337-361) decided to build a fortress here to protect his country from Sassanid attacks. It can be said that the strategic importance of this city, which is the last fortress of the Eastern Roman Empire, has increased even more since this day. VII. bir Hasankeyf, which fell into the hands of the Islamic armies in the first half of the century, was ruled by Umayyad and Abbasid governors for a while. Hasankeyf was also under the rule of the Hamdani and Marwan, but it reached its brightest period under the rule of the Artuqids and Ayyubids. Hasankeyf has been under the rule of Akkounius since 1462 and this administration lasted for 20 years. After that, efforts to increase the Safavid and Ottoman influence in the city began, and the city once again fell into the hands of the Ayyubid sultans. Finally, in 1516, Hasankeyf was completed and entered the Ottoman dominion. The use of poor quality materials in the architectural structures of Hasankeyf has made the job even more difficult given the existence of external reasons (wars, natural factors) that cause the structures to be demolished in a hurry. The Inner Castle is very important in terms of understanding Hasankeyf urbanism. Since Hasankeyf was built as a garrison during the Roman period and was a base against the Sassanids, it should not be correct to search for typical Roman city plans. The presence of various architectural elements in the form of mosques, masjids, shrines created during the Islamic Period are the architectural elements that need to be examined in terms of understanding Hasankeyf urbanism. In this context, the City of Hasankeyf was formed during the Artuqid and Ayyubid periods at a great level and became one of the important capitals of the medieval world. In our research, these topics are included and the history of urbanism of Hasankeyf is examined.