The prospect of the ancient city being destroyed by the Yortanlı Dam remains a contentious issue in Turkey. Allianoi sits inside the area expected to be submerged by the dam, the construction of which was completed recently. The dam has not yet been activated due to the ongoing discussion regarding the preservation of Allianoi’s ruins, which will be inundated with water and most likely destroyed if the dam is activated.
Tevetoğlu recently shared photos of Allianoi on the social networking site Facebook and criticized the dam project. He said the ancient city was the inspiration for a recently released song. “I have learned that Allianoi is one of the best, and few remaining, thermal cities in the world. I believe that this city should be protected and shared with the entire world. But, unfortunately, dam works will submerge the city. I am sorry that the law is not being applied for the protection of Allianoi,” his message on Facebook read.
Eroğlu reacted harshly to Tevetoğlu’s message, saying, “The singer should deal with his art, and he should not poke his nose into issues he does not understand.”
“Just like it would be extremely wrong for me to comment on Tarkan’s art, his comments on the construction of a dam, or the protection of a historical artifact, are extremely wrong. Such comments are not seen in any place on earth. Scientists decide what to do regarding such an issue. And this is the case for the Yortanlı Dam,” he stated. According to Eroğlu, the site known as Allianoi is not an ancient city. “The site is indeed what is known as the Paşa Thermal Resort, and was restored over time,” he said. He argued that the debate over the city stemmed from the archeologists who carried out first the excavations in the area. “They were paid for years by the State Waterworks Authority [DSİ]. The authority paid them around TL 5 million,” he noted.
