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At one of the halfty floating restaurants, when they had a grill embarrassment and freshwater carp lunch, visitors contemplated what life once was like on the old streets, and are now abandoned a few feet below the surface.
Halfeti is one of several settlements in the province of Changlulufa in southeastern Turkey, located on the banks of the Euphrates River, near its source. In 2000, such towns and ten small villages were completely submerged into the river, and the 200-foot tall 1.5-mile Bilesik Dam was built. More than 6,000 locals had to be relocated.
Around 40% of Halfty, a town with a population of about 2,600 people, was surrounded by water. The stone houses, shops and much of the 19th-century Mercez Kamiy (central mosque) in the “old town” have been lost. However, some high lift housing has been spared, and many still live in towns above the waterline today.
The Bilekik Dam was one of several built along the Euphrates and the adjacent Tigris River to develop the region of southeastern Anatolia. The hydroelectric dam generates approximately 2,500 GWH (gigawatt hours) of electricity per year, and is sufficient to power around 1 million Turkish homes, with a 20-square-mile reservoir being planned to irrigate 70,000 hectares of farmland. Despite these obvious advantages, Birecik Dam originally encountered mixed reactions from locals.
“Of course, that’s not easy because many cemeteries, many homes stayed under the water,” says Elhan Ildilim, a local researcher, historian and expert guide. “We can’t regain culture again. Culture remains under the water.”
Muslam Kalaman, a local boat operator, said “Halfti people made their living from breeding and farming.” The town was once known for its pistachio production.
“Now it’s completely changed towards tourism,” he continues, adding that many have embraced the change by “turning their homes into boutique restaurants and cafeterias” and improving the overall quality of life.
Today, visitors flock to the “sinked city” and zip down the structures submerged with boats, jet skis and even flyboards. Diving at Halfeti has also become a tourist favorite popular with people, popularized by El Cümen, a woman who holds a world record of diving into the town in 2020 to raise awareness about plastic pollution. “You feel history,” says Ildilim. He describes the richness of river fish species and the extensive network of ancient natural limestone just below the surface.
However, life is not only below, but above the water. Halfty is equally famous for its “black” roses cultivated around the town on the banks of the Euphrates River. According to legend, halfty is the only place in the world where flowers truly bloom black. “If you grow black roses elsewhere, they won’t give you the same color,” Yildirim insists.
Experts say the color is not pure black – it is a very dark red. “I don’t think that what is called black flowers are really black,” says internationally acclaimed rose expert Michael Marriott. However, he says that the very dark Crimson can sometimes look black, especially at the bud stage, before they lighten when they bloom. Furthermore, the darker the rose petals, the more likely they are to burn in the sun. This means that in sunny climates, flowers can appear darker.
Geyberter, chief horticulturalist of the Royal Horticultural Society of England, agrees. “In general, black roses and black flowers are not pure black, but are either very deep maroons or very dark red, as in this case,” he says.
But while internet residents call it a fake half-ty rose, barter adds a word of caution. “Deep chestnut and dark red flowers are black enough for all practical purposes, and only very noisy people will coat on nice and interesting flowers,” he says.
The dark colour is believed to be due to the unique soil conditions of the halfty.
Most roses are grafted to a common root that prefers a neutral balance of acidity and alkalinity, but Marriott says half-ti farmers may use the original roots of the rose.
“It must be due to the climatic conditions here,” says Birsen Aşağı, who works at a floating gift shop selling Black Rose products. Locals like Aşağı offer lots of black rose-infused products, from ice cream to soap and tea, but international brands also take advantage of the floral charm. The British perfume Penharigon has named its black rose scent, “Halfty.”
Explaining the importance of dark roses, Ashase shares local legends. The story begins with Adir, a famous local architect who is said to have built the city’s mosque. His granddaughter, Waltzh, is said to have grown the most beautiful roses in the area. She fell in love with an orphaned boy from across the river named Firat, but tragically, their love was forbidden by his grandfather. In grief, the pair jumped up to Euphrates together and died. According to the Legend, since that day, everyone has bloomed “black” instead of red.
Yildirim tells another story. Black Rose belonged to the Devil. The devil, angry at the murder of an innocent girl, declared that it would bloom only where she died.
Visitors to Halfeti can also make an hour-long boat trip along the river to the nearby Rumkale Fortress.
On the boat, you can see the fortress foundations dramatically overhanging the river.
They reportedly date back to the Byzantine empire in the 5th and 6th centuries A.D., but some sources suggest that early structures may have existed at the site.
On foot, visitors can explore the remains of Armenian fortress built in the 12th and 13th centuries, in which Ramkale became the residence of Catricos, the spiritual leader of the Armenian church. The fortress later fell to the Mamluks, a powerful Islamic knight class in 1292, and was then passed down to the Ottoman Empire for two centuries.
Rumkale’s impressive architecture serves as an impressive reminder of the layered, complex and often bloody history of the entire region.
In 2013, Halfeti was recognized as part of the Cittaslow (“Slow City”) network, celebrating its commitment to quality of life by preserving local culture and traditions. “The Halfty people feel a deep connection with the town’s rich history,” says Yildirim.
