The Hevsel Gardens (Turkish: Hevsel Bahçeleri, Kurdish: Baxçeyên Hewselê) are 700 hectares of farmland near the Tigris River in eastern Turkey. They are located between the Diyarbakır Fortress and the river. The city was protected by two sets of walls for defense. The gardens received water from springs on the steep hill below and helped supply food and water to the city. In 2013, the gardens were added to UNESCO’s tentative list. In 2015, they became a World Heritage Site along with the walls of Diyarbakır Fortress.
History
The Hevsel Gardens are first mentioned in records from the ninth century BC, written by the Aramean people. The city of Diyarbakır, originally called Amid, was built on a rocky hill above the Tigris River. In 866 BC, the Assyrian King Ashurnasirpal II attacked the city, and when it fell, the gardens were destroyed as punishment. The city has been important in the region during the Hellenistic period and later during the Roman, Sassanid, Byzantine, Islamic, and Ottoman Empires up to today.
The Hevsel Gardens were created between the city and the river to provide water and food for people. Many springs flow from under the rock, and the gardens are divided into five terraces above the area near the Tigris River. These terraces formed over thousands of years as the river changed course and carved deeper paths. The highest part of the garden was important for the city’s location, and the gardens were considered sacred because they helped feed people. Some people compared them to the Garden of Eden.
By 1655, the gardens covered both sides of the Tigris River and had orchards, vineyards, rose gardens, and basil gardens. Travelers in the 1800s described seeing many kinds of vegetables and fruits, including melons, grapes, apricots, and famous watermelons grown on sandy islands in the river. The gardens were connected to the city, with poplar and fruit trees separating vegetable plots. Water from the city was directed to the gardens to help plants grow and to power water wheels. Mulberry trees were planted to support a silk industry, and wood from poplar and willow trees was sent to Mosul Province on rafts.
Today, about one-third of the gardens are used to grow poplar trees, and the rest are used to grow many types of crops. These include vegetables like cabbage, spinach, lettuce, radish, green onions, parsley, watercress, eggplants, squashes, tomatoes, peppers, and beans. Fruits grown include peaches, apricots, plums, cherries, figs, mulberries, and nuts.
Conservation
The Hevsel Gardens are still being farmed today, but their original condition is at risk due to unapproved businesses and homes built near the base of the fortress. Other problems include clogged drainage channels and poor water quality. Taking water from higher areas in the Tigris Valley has caused less water to flow in the river, reducing the regular flooding of the floodplain. Protected areas have been created, but the gardens remain at risk.