The bird was caught and put in a gilded cage. Despite the grandeur, the nightingale cried every night to return to its nest. The demise of Samsat, one of the first villages evacuated when the Ataturk Dam went into service in 1990, caused no ripple outside the region. But in recent months the imminent drowning of sites with archaeological appeal has sparked an outcry across the world that Turkey is cannibalizing its history. Some have even protested that the project is a plot to wipe out Kurdish culture.
Turkish officials shake their heads at the criticism.
In the past they were criticized for failing to bring economic development to the southeast. Now they are criticized for doing so. They also said that excavating and rescuing significant sites had been a component of the project for more than two decades and there had been dozens of digs. And in this crossroads of civilization, where two great rivers have nourished life for thousands of years, there are those who say some losses are acceptable. If you are a politician in a democracy, you'd better consider the living as well as the dead.