The local governor, Muammar Guler, said he was powerless to stop the inundation, but added that less than half of the site would be flooded, and that he hoped the rest would be excavated and ultimately become an open-air museum. So our grandchildren will be able to see the part that is being flooded this month. Several of the mosaics that have recently been removed from Belkis are lying under tarpaulins in the front yard of the archaeological museum in Gaziantep. The museum's director, Hakki Alkan, said there were plans to build a new wing to house them, but he conceded that the government's apparently limited interest in classical art made the project uncertain. The state has made its decision.
Energy policy is more important than cultural and historical projects.