I spent a few hours in Hasankeyf in 1999, on a tour to view a total solar eclipse. The buses parked on the Tigris shore and we all climbed up through some of the cave passages and houses. Here are some pics[1]. Certainly the town is a hugely impressive historic site. However the population is small and poor, so probably has little political clout.

[1] https://cortesi.smugmug.com/Solar-Eclipses/1999-Turkey-Hasan...