Project: Ghost Towns Echo the Memory of Rural Migrants

What is lost when a community abandon their ancestral dwellings and move elsewhere in search of a better life?

This projects looks at the communities linked to abandoned or semi-abandoned rural settlements, often referred to as ghost towns. Places that were once bustling with activity, but now are just hollowed out structures.

In this project we looked at various settlements across the world in different stages of abandonment

In Turkey, the 3000-year old town of Hasankeyf along the Tigris river is threatened by the construction of the Illisu Dam project. Daniel Iriartespoke to the inhabitants of the town who are fearful about losing their homes and their community, which has a very rich history.

Hasankeyf has been inhabited for at least 1000 years... The dam will only last 100 years. After this, who will come and take Hasankeyf out again?

Rüstum Ayhan - Merchant, Hasankeyf.

Meanwhile Olga Behar traveled to Marmato in Colombia. Once a prosperous mining town until the miners were evicted because the site had become unstable due to an enormous mudslide. The town became a ghost town and former residents mourn the loss of their community.

In Spain the once abandoned village of Aulàs has slowly been brought back to life by a small group of people over the past 15 years. Ana Torres learned how they are restoring the houses and gardens, working the land and in the process, discovering the values of village life and of living closer to nature.

Our cartoonists are pitching in with their contributions. Jeff Treves illustrates how the construction of the Illisu Dam may forever erase a part of the Turkish heritage from the collective national memory, and Steve Greenberg shows the reasons behind the existence of many ghost towns today. Back to the project