Region welcomes fortified city's addition to UNESCO list

(7 Jul 2015) LEAD IN:
Dating back to ancient Greek and Roman times, the Diyarbakir Fortress and Hevsel Gardens in southeastern Turkey are now on UNESCO's World Heritage list.
The decision came on Saturday in Bonn, Germany, during the 39th session of UNESCO's World Heritage Committee.
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Located on an escarpment on the Upper Tigris River Basin that is part of the so-called Fertile Crescent, the fortified city of Diyarbakir and the landscape around is a mixture of natural beauty and cultural richness.
UNESCO's website says it has been "an important centre since the Hellenistic period, through the Roman, Sassanid, Byzantine, Islamic and Ottoman times to the present."
"The site encompasses the Amida Mound, known as Ickale (inner castle), the 5.8 kilometre-long city walls of Diyarbakir with their numerous towers, gates, buttresses, and 63 inscriptions from different periods, as well as Hevsel Gardens, a green link between the city and the Tigris that supplied the city with food and water," UNESCO states.
Diyarbakir governor, Huseyin Aksoy, says it's a good advertisement for the city.
"In tourism, advertising is very important. In that sense, having a site on the UNESCO World Heritage List would be in Diyarbakir's advantage. Diyarbakir Fortress and Hevsel gardens will bring in the tourists," he says.
He adds that their aim is to conserve Diyarbakir Fortress and Hensel Gardens for future generations.
"Diyarbakir Fortress goes back to before (Jesus) Christ. Diyarbakir Fortress has been home to 33 different civilisations and has reached today with value added from each civilisation. Some parts of it have been renovated, other projects have been prepared and some others will be renovated again in the coming future. Our main aim is to protect the historical heritage and pass it on in a robust state to future generations. UNESCO's decision has given us more responsibility."
Diyarbakir Fortress is seven-thousand years old and Hensel Gardens are eight-thousand year old, according to Turkey's General Directorate of Cultural Heritage and Museums.
Turkey's Culture and Tourism Minister Omer Celik welcomed UNESCO's decision in a post on his official Twitter account.
"Diyarbakir fortress is among the world's oldest sites. Hevsel gardens are fertile, loam lands on the coast of the Tigris," he tweeted on Saturday.
Diyarbakir resident Ahmet Beseng also welcomes the decision, but says that it came late.
"The decision (of UNESCO) is good and right, but late coming. I think UNESCO should reconsider Diyarbakir and increase the sites that are on the heritage list," he says.
Another resident, Kazim Yildirim, says the decision makes him proud to be a Diyarbakir resident.
"Diyarbakir is the cradle of civilisations, both economically and socially. Of course, the entry of the Diyarbakir Fortress and Hevsel Gardens to the UNESCO's list will contribute to Diyarbakir."
In March last year, environmentalists protested against the felling of trees at Hevsel Gardens.
There were rumours of housing projects being planned for the area.
Along with Diyarbakir, Turkey's ancient city of Ephesus has been added to the list.
Turkey has 15 sites on the World Heritage list.

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