A newlywed man moving to his new house before the ancient city is submerged. Forced to leave his inherited house, the young man now has to pay rent for the new settlement.

The exhumation of a man who died 50 years ago. The granddaughters and their sons are carefully watching as their grandfather HALIL’s grave is being opened. HALIL died 50 years ago. Two granddaughters’ sons only know HALIL through their mothers’ stories. The remains are moved as they have a spiritual value and so people do not forget their past. Although this process deepens people's agony, they do this to be able to show their ancestors' graves to future generations and to be able to visit them on special days.

Houses that were once filled with children are now inundated with water. The owner of the houses will not be able to see them anymore in a week, since that water rises 1.5 meters a day.

Last time on the bridge, from ancient Hasankeyf to the new town. The entrance of the ancient town will soon be flooded. A family is going across the bridge to reach the new settlement.

Praying woman - watching the exhumation. She is deeply sorry to hassle the dead with this process of removal.

Three siblings are waiting tensely as their mothers’ grave is being undug. It had not been easy for them to bury their mother, however, exhuming is the most bitter. The people of the region had to completely leave their homes, lands, memories, and cultural history behind. The most agonizing part of this process is that they also have to undug their lost loved ones' graves and carry their remains with them.

Village residents watch the snowfall at the old bus stop. The bus will no longer pass from this stop since the roads of this village have been flooded.

The difference in reaction between the generations, young ones are selfie-taking whereas the old man seems to be in a brown story.

Nuri, at the age of 73 He will have to abandon her house within a week. All that he has are the memories, now they will have to get used to a new way of living.

Turkey’s one and only oil refinery are in Batman. This refinery and the dams on the Tigris River have a contribution to the economy. However, the city is one of the five poorest cities in Turkey.

A family in a new settlement eats on the terrace following old traditions. During the summer months, the temperature is above 40 degrees, so the local people sit inside their houses during the day and on the roof at night. Those who move to the big city will have to abandon these traditions.

Ayşe is the youngest member of a family of eight children, and she has to work at harvest time like all family members. In the past, these people were able to do irrigated farming on their land near the Tigris river. Now the farmers are forbidden to use the water in the dam. Drought caused a decrease in the amount of grain in the region.

A young Diyarbakir with a Kalashnikov tattoo and stab scars is sunbathing on the dam pond in the Tigris valley.

As the waters continue to rise, some fruit trees that are not completely submerged greet spring with blooms. Nature is struggling to survive.

Hasankeyf's elders often come to this hill to watch the old settlement that was underwater. They do this to keep their memories fresh.

Koçer Serif and his wife are resting in the tree shade at Tigris valley. The Ilısu dam has a negative impact on the lives of the Kocer(nomadic Kurds) people who are engaged in animal husbandry in the region. Approximately five thousand Kocer families dealing with animal husbandry cannot make a living as many crossing points in the Tigris valley have disappeared.

A part of the river has been restructured as a pool. As it is not running, the water of the pool is not clean and cold enough during the summer days. Until it was realized that the water was overheated and polluted, small cattle perished. So, the shepherds which are mostly seasonal workers started to take them to the waterside at night when the weather and water is colder.

A suburb near the center of Şırnak. The Kurdish group, which came from different places, is trying to keep their old traditions alive. They have fun in solidarity with their local clothes and traditional games.

Due to the dam, 198 settlements were flooded. The village in Siirt, known as Herşex in Kurdish, is one of them. All the villagers had to migrate to the city. İsmet, one of the residents of this village, now works in a factory in the metropolitan city. He and his son go to see his old house, which was revealed when the water level was low. That way, they think their memories stay fresh.

Elif is a family member engaged in animal husbandry. Due to the overheating of the water that has become stagnant, his family is considering giving up livestock and emigrating to the big city. Many families cannot get enough efficiency from agriculture and animal husbandry due to the negative conditions created by the dam.

A wedding on the street in the city suburbs. People migrating from the village to the city are facing some cultural changes. Tossing fake dollars at celebrations in the city suburbs is now one of the new wedding normals.

There are two types of boats on the river, one used for transportation, the other for touristic trips. Boat trips are not unusual for Turkey as it is considered a peninsula, however, it is unprecedented for the villagers of Hasankeyf. This certainly is a radical change from the traditional way of living.

There are many buildings built similar to the old architecture of this region in the newly created living spaces. These are imitations of hundreds of years old structures that were submerged.

Drought decreased the water level in the dam, in some areas even to forty meters. Tens of thousands of fish that were stuck in these areas perished.

Since the highway is underwater, transportation is now provided by boat. This certainly is a radical change from the traditional way of living. Despite it being a loud and shaky (four-hour) trip, villagers are still taking a nap on the way back home on the boat.

Koctepe, four km. away from the main dam (body of the dam), is the very first inundated village Remains of ceramics from the archaeological excavations indicate a history going back to 3000-2700 BC.