Thus wrote the 2nd century AD Greek orator Aelius Aristides in his ‘Sacred Tales’ (Hieroi Logoi).  The place he was describing was a town in Western Turkey, called Allianoi, which was rediscovered just ten years ago.  This settlement was a centre of the healing cult established and personified by the demi-god Asklepios (Aesculapius to the Romans), and as such is comparable to the religious complex at Epidauros, another Asklepion.

Allianoi – General View

Sadly, as the BBC reports, the site of Allianoi is in the path of another Turkish dam construction project – the Yortanli irrigation dam.  Some may recall Turkey’s long and ignominious history of dam construction, most notably that of the Birecik dam and its subsequent destruction of much of the famous ancient city of Zeugma.  The Ilisu dam controversy also continues, and so it is desperately dispiriting to hear of another of these projects and the threat they pose to Turkey’s cultural heritage and the World’s patrimony.

Its not too late to save Allianoi, a vigorous campaign is underway to save the site, or at least to adequately study its remains, and the cause has been highlighted in the European Parliament (which Turkey is eager to join), but these objections are failing and time is running out for Allianoi.

The real question has to be: what of the role of international conservation organisations in cases like this?  Shouldn’t organisations like ICOMOS be more visible and proactive in pressing regional governments to meet their cultural obligations?  What about UNESCO?  A search for Allianoi on their website shows no interest in the site whatsoever. 

If governments continue to be allowed to destroy their cultural heritage in this way, the future is truly bleak for the world’s patrimony.

Sites such as Zeugma, Allianoi and others can be used, with a little imagination to kick-start economies and to encourage cultural and historical tourism to regions which otherwise might have little to offer. 

However, as the cases of Zeugma, Allianoi, and many other sites around the world, seem to demonstrate, regional governments cannot be relied upon to value their own historical resources.  We all need the international bodies like ICOMOS and UNESCO to be more active, not just in preserving the more famous sites like the Colosseum and the Pyramids, but also the smaller, more remote and less glamorous sites.  

If these organisations are not going to take a lead in cases like this, then what is the point in them existing at all?

Perhaps what we need is some kind of global listing, along the lines of that used to identify endangered animal species?