Month: February 2017

Around Dalyan there are many picturesque small villages. Often overlooked by tourists and they remain undiscovered. Despite being close to the thriving tourist town of Dalyan, famous for it's loggerhead turtles, village life revolves around agriculture. They retain their rural charm.  In Turkey the definition of a village is a population below 2000. Before the 1950’s 80% of the entire population lived in villages. Today, the actual amount of people living in villages has increased but the percentage has decreased, due to the migration towards larger towns and cities. As in the rest of the world agriculture has become much more mechanised and small landowners and tenants have suffered. These are the families that have generally sought their fortune elsewhere. Larger landowners have inevitably succeeded, machinery making their businesses much more efficient and profitable. Today the extended family remains vital to the survival of the village community. Even though many offspring move away to the cities the extended family can comprise of male elders and a variety of cousins and children. This unit forms a cooperative that will share labour, machinery and even cash. Every village has an elected head. Known as the muhtar. Rural Muhtars The muhtar is the highest elected authority in the village. The tasks of the muhtar compromise of two groups: compulsory tasks, public health, primary education, security and notification of public announcements. Non-compulsory tasks depend upon the demands of the village. Urban Muhtars In each town there may be several neighbourhoods. In large cities the number may exceed a 100 different neighbourhoods. Urban muhtars tend to have less tasks than rural muhtars. They usually provide official copies of birth certificates and ID cards. Villages around Dalyan Villages differ depending on the location. Near the South West coastal towns villages are mainly comprised of small holdings. The

In Turkish and Islamic folklore spring arrives only after the three Cemres have occured. The Cemre are three fireballs that come from Heaven to warm earth at the end of winter. Each cemre happens a week apart and heats one aspect of nature. Dictionary definition - Cemre: means “ember of fire; piece of fire; coal in form of fire”  in Arabic and defines warming up and the pile of stones thrown by Muslims at the Mount Mina during pilgrimage. 1. Red-hot piece of coal,live ember 2. Any of three radiations of heat which supposedly fall in succession from the sun into the air,the water, and the earth in February and March. Increase of warmth in February. First Cemre is said to ocur 19-20 February. The first cemre heats the air Second Cemre 26-27 February. The second cemre the water. The third Cemre 5-6 March. The final cemre warms the ground. In meteorological terms cemre is defined as the increase in warmth in February. According to tradition the dropping of cemres result in storms and it snows in many parts of the country during this period. It is accepted that following the third cemre,  spring arrives. In old times, people used to divide the year in two seasons as ‘Kasım’ (winter) and ‘Hızır’ (summer); Kasım lasting for 180 days and Hızır for 186 days. Kasım would start on the 8th of November according to the our calendar; the 46th of Kasım would mark the beginning of ‘erbain’, meaning “forty days” and the 86th of Kasım would mark the beginning of ‘hamsin’, meaning “fifty days”. By the end of hamsin, the coldest 90 days of the winter would be over. On the 105th of Kasım (20th of February) the first cemre drops in the air; on the 112th (27th of February) the second cemre drops in the water; and on the 119th (6th of March – 5th of March every four years when February is 29

The Yoruk people of Turkey have traditionally been shepherds that migrate between the mountains and the coast. Today many now live in houses but still have dwellings in both areas. Migration In winter, they drive their flocks down to the coast where the weather stays warmer and there is more food available. Whilst in spring and early summer, they head back to the mountain pastures where it is cooler. As a result, in some areas this move will take up to a month. Once the clan elders have decided to  move and the day is picked the women will prepare food for the trek, the men will prepare the animals. The majority of the Yoruks will walk the journey but children and the eldery will ride the horses, donkeys or camels. The same route is taken year after year. The knowledge handed down through the generations. Women have a vital role in the Yörük lifestyle. They manage the tents, milk the animals, care for children, the elderly and the sick animals. They spin and dye the wool, making elaborately coloured garments for themselves but also to sell. The men predominantly guard and tend to the flocks. Due to the remote locations they are often accompanied by huge Kangal sheep dogs. These large beasts were originally bred to save the flock from wolves and leopards. That should give you some idea of the size! One of the most impressive sights is a Yoruk wedding. Often the grooms family will carry the dowry through the streets, to the brides family, on the back of a camel. This is followed by much merriment and hours of dancing. You can meet and learn about Yoruk people on our Kapidag trips: Kapidag Trekking and/or Kapidag Camping.

There are numerous Alevi villages around Dalyan. Kemaliye, Marmarli and Fevziye to name a few. Alevi is the term used to describe people  and the religion that form the largest minority within Turkey. Alevis take many beliefs from Shia Islam, also Shaman, Sufi and Zoroastrian religions, going back 6,000 years. Their faith includes the worship of Ali, son in law of the Prophet along with God and the Prophet Muhammad. That said there are many conflicting views of what is and isn’t included within the religion. Presumably because this is a way of life as well as a religion, a folk religion. Different Alevi villages in Turkey have different beliefs and practices from each other. Alevis main difference with other Islamic faiths is that they do not pray in mosques. This is due to the fact that Ali was killed in a mosque. Further differences are: Fasting during the Ten Days of Muharram and not during Ramadan Alevis do not prostrate themselves during prayer and do not face Mecca Do not practice the Hajj Use cemevleri that are similar to community town halls, do not go to mosques Alevis "do not have obligatory formal almsgiving, although they have a strong principle of mutual assistance" Do not to attribute great importance to theology Alevis do not pray five times a day Allows the consumption of pork and alcohol. Although this is rarely undertaken Men and women to pray together although women should have their heads covered Alevis have always been isolated within the mainstream communities. Often viewed with suspicion, they have tended to stay in small rural villages, mainly in Anatolia. There have been many persecutions of the Alevi people within Turkey 100 Alevis were killed in Maras in 1978 by members of the extreme right National Action Party. In Sivas in July 1993,