Archaeologist couple’s baby witnesses excavation at historical castle

BATMAN

A 9-month-old baby girl of an archaeologist couple has become the life of the party of the excavation team working in a castle at the southeastern province of Batman’s Hasankeyf district, which has a history dating back to some 12,000 years ago,

“She is only 9 months, witnessing excavation efforts in a 12,000-year-old land. What a reminiscence it will be,” Tülay Ünlü Ağrak, the mother of the baby “Sarya” and an archaeologist from the Batman Museum, told the state-run Anadolu Agency.

Sarya’s father, Metin Ağrak, is also an archaeologist from the Hasankeyf Museum nearby the excavation site.

“I have been bringing her with me twice or three times a week since she was 7 months,” her mother said.

Witnessing the excavation efforts, Sarya “plays with trowels rather than toys.”

With her smiling face and cute attitude, it did not take much time for her to become the focus of interest of the excavation team.

“I asked myself, ‘How will I join the work with my baby?’ Then my husband said, ‘Let’s take her with us.’ We tried, and it worked,” she said.

Thanking the team, she said, “All the workers help me when she needs sleep.”

Zekai Erdal, the site director, is also happy to host the baby girl during work.

“Sarya brings joy to the site. When she is not around, our eyes look for Sarya,” Erdal noted.

Hasankeyf is an ancient town and district located along the Tigris River in Turkey’s southeast.