Turkish nomads embark on winter migration

MERSİN

The last nomadic community in Türkiye, the Sarıkeçili Yörüks, who spend the summer months in the region known as the "summer pasture" in the Central Anatolia Region, have embarked on a journey with their camels to reach their winter homes after a six-month stay in Konya.

After centuries of Turkic communities leading a nomadic lifestyle in the Central Asia region, the number of these communities gradually decreased towards the 19th century. The Yörüks, who still maintain this centuries-old way of life, spend half of the year in the Central Anatolia region, migrating to the southern provinces, their homeland, during the winter.

Approximately 250 Sarıkeçili Yörüks are resisting the passage of time, striving to preserve their traditions despite all difficulties. Having spent six months in the summer pasture in the Hadım district of Konya, the nomads set out in early November with 200 goats and camels to reach their winter pasture.

Before the journey, the Yörüks get ready by dismantling their tents and preparing food to eat while traveling. They make cheese from the goats they graze, cook flatbreads on their stoves and load their belongings onto camels.

During the journey, the nomads sometimes linger in places where they camp for a long time due to rain. Loading their belongings onto camels and horses, they continue their journey to spend the winter in the milder climate of Mersin. Their destination is a village in the Aydıncık district.

Ali Uçar, also known as “Bird Ali,” is continuing the traditional journey with his wife Hatice, daughter Fatma Dilekmen, son-in-law Mustafa Dilekmen, and his two-and-a-half-year-old grandson Ali Dilekmen.

The 66-year-old man mentioned that they cover a daily distance of five to 10 kilometers depending on the weather conditions and the road.

"We set out from Aladağlar in Hadım district of Konya 20 days ago. Our journey is only 20 days so far. We will stay between Aydıncık and Bozyazı. We plan our daily movements according to the weather conditions and the place to stay," Uçar said.

Expressing the joy of preserving the tradition passed down from their ancestors, Uçar said, “Nomadism is the profession handed down from our grandfathers.”

“The next generations, probably, will not be able to continue to do this, cannot sustain it. Because we learned it this way from our elders. We travel with a camel caravan. Camels are scarce; I am the only one who has them.”

However, not every nomad travels with camels like the Uçar family. Mustafa Bacak, from the Sarıkeçili Yörüks, stated that he and his family cope better with natural conditions by using vehicles instead of camels. "The only difference from 30 years ago is that we migrate mostly with tractors instead of camels. There is no other difference."

Their children are born in tents and grow up there, Bacak explained that the problems of the Yörüks have increased, and sustaining this way of life has become more challenging every year.