Turkey launched its Southeastern Anatolia Project (Güneydoğu Anadolu Projesi, GAP), some 40 years ago. The GAP is one of the largest river basin development projects in the world and the largest single development project carried out by Turkey. It includes 13 irrigation and hydropower schemes, involving the construction of 22 dams and 19 hydroelectric power plants on […]
The deaf and mute man, standing with his hand raised in a clenched-fist salute, was silently protesting. The crowd was applauding him. Every day for the last two months, 100 to 150 people had been gathering on Lise Street in Diyarbakır, southeast Turkey to protest the central government’s takeover of locally elected municipalities. Although those […]
Turkey’s eastern province of Van has been the first stop for refugees from Iran and Afghanistan for a long time. Some of these refugees have been waiting in Van for years until their asylum application is accepted by a third country. I know babies that have grown up during these waiting years. An Iranian refugee […]
Syrians who began arriving in Turkey nine years ago, after a civil war erupted in their country, were designated as “guests’’ by the Turkish government. There is no designation in international law or that of any country for such a status. And even though the status of the country’s 3.6 million Syrians changed later on, […]
Discussions about racism in the United States have taken over Turkey for days. Turkish artists, columnists, journalists, celebrities, football clubs, athletes and actors have shared photographs of George Floyd, who was killed by a Minneapolis police officer, accompanied by how sad they are, adorned with the message: “We can’t breathe.” It is true that “we can’t […]
In the heart of Diyarbakır, the largest city in Turkey’s predominantly Kurdish southeast, lies the ancient district of Sur. The fortress encircling the district, and the gardens just beyond the walls, are a UNESCO World Heritage Site, while over 1,500 buildings in Sur have been labelled historic and are protected by law. In late 2015, […]