The charming village of Hasankeyf is cut in two by the Tigris River. The town was established by the Romans as a border post with the Persians and named Cephe.
Under Byzantine rule the town prospered, but its heyday came to an end with the invasions of the Artuqids, Ayyubids, and later, the Mongols. Four arches sticking picturesquely out of the river are all that remain of the original grand bridge across the Tigris.
Up on the cliff ridge above (where you can get great photos of the river) is the castle surrounded by cave dwellings. The Parthian King Arshak was incarcerated by the Romans here, tied with silver chains to the stuffed corpse of his general Varsak until he died.
