Birecik , the Euphrates and Halfeti

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We are heading to the city Birecik, where one of the dams of the GAP project is built on the river Euphrates. When we cross the river, we enter 'Mesopotamia'. Mesopotamia means 'between the rivers' It is the area between the Euphrates and Tigris. Building of the dams gains irrigation, hydraulic energy production and a lot of job positions. On the other side, many villages and argeoligic treasures are lost under the increased level of the river. Zeugma is one of them.

We had a small stop at Birecik to see birds which are threatened species. They are called Bald Ibis. ( Kelaynak ) Bald Ibis is in the Red List of Threatened Species published by IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources). These birds are almost being extinct as very few of them left in the world, in Turkey for example it can be seen only in the Birecik district of Sanliurfa. Besides few left in Turkey, they're also visible in Morocco and lately in Syria. Their total population is estimated to be around 530 in the wild and about 1500 in captivity, of which about 100 in Sanliurfa area. Some of the reasons for their extinction are loss of steppe or agricultural areas, dramatic changes of their habitat, massive pest poisoning in the fields, hunting, dam construction, and of course human disturbance.

We continue and arrive to the village Halfeti. This is one of the villages which is (partly) lost as result of the GAP project. A big part of the village is now under water and the other part became a touristic attraction. You can walk beside the river and see buildings which are partly under water. It is a must to do a boat trip when you visit Halfeti. The boat takes you over the flooded part of Halfeti. When the group was complete from a short break we entered to a boat and moved up to the north part of the Euphrates. The river, which became actually a semi lake, was clear as crystal. The whole landscape was mirrored on the water. Enjoying a nice Turkish tea and the fresh air of the nature, we slowly arrived to a village which was completely abounded. Only some houses, which were a bit higher on the hills, were still there. The rest of the village was now on the bottom of the lake. On the place where the mosque of the village was, you could see only the minaret raising from the water. Very fascinating to see and try to imagine how it was here before the level of the water increased.

From here we continued the boat trip and came to a big fortress, Rumkale. Rumkale is believed to be the antic city Sitamrat conquered in 885 BC by Salmanasar III, the Assyrian King. However, the issue is somewhat disputed. While some researchers consider Urum (Horum) to the north of the present Belkis village on the Euphrates as the original settlement, others maintain that Urima is Rumkale.

From 1113 to 1166 AD Rumkale was used as the post of the catholic's. This status continued even after that, until 1292 when the city was taken by Melik el-Esref of Egypt. Also serving to the Yakubid as a Patriarchate in the 13th century, it was annexed by the Ottoman Empire after Mercidabik Battle (1516) and administratively attached to Aleppo.

Rumkale overlooks the Euphrates which forms the boundary between the provinces of Sanliurfa and Gaziantep. If this fortress is followed on a line along the river down to the south up to Crablus in Syria, many other fortresses are also seen. On the other hand, when the line is extended from the same spot to the north, one can observe major fortifications up to Samsun, including the fortresses of Amasya, Tokat and Sivas. As such, Rumkale is the most important link in this chain of fortifications.

The fortress is build on solid calcareous rocks on the west bank slopes of the Euphrates. Wall to the east, north and west are surrounded by high rocks. The fortress is build on solid calcareous rocks on the west bank slopes of the Euphrates. Walls to the east, north and west are surrounded by high rocks. The fortress is presently in a much damaged status. Built by large cut out pieces of stone, it has only one gate opening to the southeast. What remained up to our day include the remains of the mansion of the commander, the Armenian Church St.Nerses belonging to the second half of the 17th century, water storage and a well.

After finalizing the Birecik Dam, entrance to Rumkale became more difficult, but not impossible.

The boat slowly returned to the shore of Halfeti. For sure it was fabulous and recommended, might you visit this area. Slowly but sure it was time to move on. Urfa city is waiting for us….

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Photos

Bald Ibis (Kelaynak)
Bald Ibis, Kelaynak in Turkish or Geronticus Eremita in Latin, is also know as Northern Bald Ibis, Hermit Ibis, or Waldrapp. It is a large black bird with its featherless head and neck and a long curved red beak, living in semi-deserted or rocky habitats such as in the Middle East and north Africa. The rest of their body is covered with dark blue-purple feathers. They live in colonies nesting and mating on the steep rock cliffs to protect themselves and their eggs from wild animals and humans. They lay 2-4 eggs and eat mainly insects, lizards, snails, beetles, worms, ants, small snakes and scorpions by probing with their long beak into cracks in the soil.
Northern Bald Ibis is in the Red List of Threatened Species published by IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources). These birds are almost being extinct as very few of them left in the world, in Turkey for example it can be seen only in the Birecik district of Sanliurfa. Besides few left in Turkey, they're also visible in Morocco and lately in Syria. Their total population is estimated to be around 530 in the wild and about 1500 in captivity, of which about 100 in Sanliurfa area. Some of the reasons for their extinction are loss of steppe or agricultural areas, dramatic changes of their habitat, massive pest poisoning in the fields, hunting, dam construction, and of course human disturbance.
Since 1989, General Directorate of Natural Parks and Nature Preserve established a special breeding station for Kelaynaks in Birecik with the help of RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds), where they successfully are trying to save and populate these birds in captivity. The birds have special nests where they mate around February-March and leave around mid-July to migrate further south to Ethiopia, Eritrea and Madagascar, than return to Birecik starting from mid-February for nesting again. In contrary of Moroccan population, Kelaynaks of Turkey are migratory. These are social birds, waking up early in the morning and flying all together to their feeding areas 10-15 kilometers away from the station. Thanks to the scientific works in the last years, 1 or 2 eggs out of 3-4 have a chance to survive today.