Hakkari has hosted many civilizations in terms of its location and geographical structure, has seen the domination of Med, Persian, Seleucid, Abbasid, Seljuk, Mongolian, Karakoyunlu, Akkoyunlu and Ottoman, in the most south-east of Turkey, bordering Iran and Iraq. is an important province with a population of 80 thousand, surrounded by the Hyacinth and Kürek Mountains, where the very rare “inverted tulip” flower grows and is known for its special honey grown in its own flora.

We came to Yüksekova by plane, the airport is here. It is a wide flat plateau plain area, which is evident from its name. Yüksekova, the largest district of Hakkari province, is one of the strategically important districts of Turkey, located near the intersection of the Turkey-Iran-Iraq borders, with border gates opening to Iran and opening to Iraq.

You will be really surprised, extremely modern-looking people, more jewelery shops than they should be, but it is not like that, only the gold belts, necklaces, headdresses in the showcase are worth a fortune. The weddings of certain tribes are magnificent. A clean and neat rich town with all kinds of stores and shops. This is a place where all kinds of commerce are carried out, close to the border of Iran and Iraq.

In the 1450-meter set, we go to Şemdinli, which is the crossroads of the Iraq and Iran roads, passing through the Hatuna and Şapatan passes stuck between the mountains. We are approximately 40-50 km from the border of both countries. We are in the river fish facilities in the village of River, 30 km from the Iraqi border through the mountains. It is a promenade built on a wide area among waters, streams and walnut trees. It’s a clean place where you sit on the floor in sections. Portions of three fish fried like pomegranate, I don’t know if it’s the juice or the type of animal, but the best trout I’ve ever eaten. Taken in beautifully cleaned awns, it’s all right up to the breathless end. When the sound of running water, trees and shade, a need for a short cut arose, we did not resist. I hear songs in Kurdish, from the women’s choir, we approached cautiously at first, the girls of the region are sitting and having fun. When we joined the group, it turned into a choir of voices from the dormitory, and they sang songs together starting from Thrace to the Black Sea. All very civilized people. I go to the kitchen, I can honestly say that I did not expect this. We wandered around the ponds where the fish were fed, the owner explained everything about how they produced and how long they were grown. The economic distress in the country also showed itself here, and it was not possible to find a place in a place with a capacity of several hundred people, especially on weekends. In this case, they could serve around 1000 fish per day. While passing through the sitting areas, people offer treats from what they make at home, it is not easy to have a full meal, but we ate everything that was served, and they were all very nice.

We are 20 km from the Iraqi border, if we had passports, we could think about it, next time we need to come prepared.

On our way, there is the tomb of Seyit Abdullah, one of the Islamic leaders who grew up here.

We are going to Kayme Palace, which served as a madrasah for many years in the past and is now a museum. A large mansion where Seyit Abdulkadir Geylani and his family live. History of this place through pictures

You can understand, besides, beautiful exemplary words and writings on the walls draw attention. A native of this place, supported by a wealthy person.

The roads are very smooth, there are frequent military checkpoints, identity checks are made. We follow the advice of the military officer who controls and go to the Mus Waterfall. The weather is hot, the sound of water pouring 30 meters under the trees. We drank our tea in a cool place and continue on our way.

We are going to Hakkari via Şemdinli again. On the side of the road, children collect and sell the yellow centaury flowers, and centaury oil is used in the pharmaceutical industry.

On our way, we came to the Deniz Gezmiş Bridge on the Zap river, known as Zap Suyu, which is visited by many people coming this way. Zap Suyu is the river that divides this region in half. Until recently, it was possible to pass to the opposite side by holding on to the wire ropes stretched between the collars. Every year, dozens of people and children would fall into the waters from here. Deniz Gezmiş Bridge was built in 1968 with the money collected by integrating the revolutionary youth with the local people. The name of the bridge was tried to be changed by all the governments that came to power, and it was even thought to be demolished for a while. It continues to be known as Deniz Gezmiş or Revolutionary Youth Bridge, although there is no nameplate on it. We walked over it in memory of those times we lived in and we commemorate everyone who contributed.

I thought of Şemsi Belli’s poem, which describes this place very well when the Zap water takes dozens of lives every year.

CONSTITUTION

Gul, the Government Father that I am a victim of!

Couldn’t you give baa an alphabet?

Gara mountains under gar galanda

i don’t laugh

I don’t know the language

I don’t know the way from Şavata to Hakkari

Gurban, what’s the cure, hooyyyy babooov

Baby burns, baby sick, baby in paper clip

I’m poor

I’m right

Dohdor, medicine, bazaar, bazar tam – takiro

Gurban, what the fuck is this, hoooyyy babovv

The baby cries, the baby dies, the water does not pass

I’m sluggish, I’m dumb, şeher uzah yolsizo

What kind of country is this, hooyyy babooovvv

Small graves under the gar on the mountain

Seven corpses swim in the hetim hetim zap water

If I complain to the government, they will scold

I’m reserved

i am hetimo

What kind of citizen am I, hoooyyy babooovvv

From the swatta to the choir

We can’t afford to bring

our goods yoh

our way yoh

We don’t have a language to give voice to Angara

Angarada constitution

kiss your hands hasso

Give us a favor too

This is possible yoh mi hooyyy babooov.

**

Hakkari and its surroundings are still under strict control and control regarding terrorism. We want to go to Berçelan Plateau, there is control on the road, if they allow, we will go. We saluted and passed, but most of the time, passage is not allowed without permission. These issues should not be questioned too much, there may be unknown unexplained reasons. Anyway, we are climbing, the mountain road is broken and dusty, we are at 2700 meters, we are in nature with a magnificent view. There are tents in the distance, “köçer”, we wanted to come for these. Migrating to high places and plateaus during the Central Anatolian summer seasons, the passers or Yörüks are locally referred to as Köçerlar here. We arrived near them, hundreds of sheep and goats gathered in a field, animals were caught and milked one by one as they passed through the ground like a canal, 5-6 women caught and milked the animal passing in front of them. This is Akdogan pasture. Köçerler stay here for 4-5 months, depending on the situation, starting from June every year, and feed their animals. This group has more than 1000 sheep and more than 500 goats. It caught my attention that those who are milking milk the animal they buy by choosing, not the one in front of them. There is a certain order in itself. Here, 8 closely related families live together, but the number of animals each family has is different. He milks everyone’s own animal. Life is common, life has a cost, everyone is responsible for their own animal, their own tent. Meals are eaten together, but every 20 sheep owner is responsible for a day’s food, and everything belongs to that family. That is, if you have a hundred animals, you will cook for 5 days during your stay here. A family with 600 animals cooks in the morning, lunch and evening for 30 days. It’s not just a word, but the food, meat, vegetables and everything in the caravan properly. We are also attending lunch, we drank our tea, good food, lots of conversation, lots of photos, what else? We are leaving, hope to see you next year. Keep climbing, the road deteriorated well, we were driving the car, even if it was very slow, when we were talking about creeks, stones, etc. We will go out on foot, there is serious snow on the hills, we aimed to reach there. Oxygen has started to decrease due to altitude, we come out resting, we are at an altitude of 3800 meters. The sun is seriously burning on the hill, but the air gets colder as you climb. On the last day of June, we are walking on the frozen snow. It’s like it’s getting farther away as the summit approaches. Unbelievable, nature, magnificent beauty, we sit down and try to absorb the beauties of life. We thought the descent was easy, but we slide down on the icy snow. Being in the tiring but insatiable nature for two hours is another peace. We drank ice-cold waters from the streams, a lush green world, colorful little flowers, fields of yellow daisies as far as the eye could see, in this silence, whispers in our ears are constantly heard, finally we understood what was said; it was the voice of nature; He was saying, “If you don’t defile me, I won’t deprive you of beauty, if you don’t do me wrong”, this was the clear statement. The majority do not want to understand the messages without caring about mother nature, we all pay the price.

In the afternoon, it’s tea time, the taste of the tea boiling on the fire we lit from the branches we gathered in the hearth we made of stones is something else. There is another Köçer in the distance, we go and chat with them. They came from Siirt, crossing the mountains with their animals, it took about a month, they are doing animal husbandry, they will return to Siirt in winter, they have a hard life. They make cheese from the milk they collect in the morning and evening and sell it.

It is evening, today is the new moon period, that is, the day when the moon is dark and never seen. Weather like this is the right time for night star photography. We made our preparations for the shooting, we set up the machines and started shooting. It takes 3-4 hours to take a star photo, okay, the weather has started to get cold, we are officially shaking, it is hot during the day, we will freeze at night, we will almost not see the morning if we continue. We cut it a little short.

Deep sleep at night with plenty of oxygen

We learned that exit to Berçelan plateau is not allowed, our friend got special permission for us. Can’t thank you enough.

**

Morning journey, Çukurca district, which is on the Iraqi border, In the past, this place was on the agenda with terrorism. After midnight on October 19, 2011, 200 PKK members opened fire on the police and gendarmerie buildings and security points in the district center with heavy weapons, resulting in 24 Turkish soldiers killed and 18 wounded.

Zap Suyu Valley encompasses a 150-kilometer-long valley system that starts from the intersection point of the Başkale-Hakkari- Yüksekova border in the south of Hakkari city center and extends to Iraqi lands, and the roads that provide the transportation of Başkale-Hakkari, Hakkari-Çukurca pass here. The Zap Suyu valley flows through the mountains at the easternmost tip of the Southeast Taurus Mountains and forms one of the narrowest and deepest valleys in our country. Zap Water is also the fastest flowing river in Turkey. The river, which originates from the Havril Mountains in the north of Van’s Başkale District, reaches the Tigris River within the borders of Iraq by including large and small streams. The valley, where there are many bird species unique to this region, is also home to many birds of prey.

Very nice roads, if you follow the Zap water valley, you will take you to Çukurca. 200 km long. It is not known why the Zap river is called Zap Water, it has witnessed a lot of pain, it has witnessed a lot of pain, it has taken many lives, it has extinguished many hearths, it knows a lot, but it is secretive, does not tell, does not tell, is sad but always proud and flows steadily.

There are frequent security checkpoints on the road, all young, clean, neat soldiers. We arrive at Çukurca by stopping by the villages on the way. A beautiful sign welcomes us “Beautiful Çukurca with you”, what a beautiful expression. The weather is hot, the humidity is very little, and when it comes to shade, it’s not too much of a problem. They have painted pictures of the world and today’s classic books on a wall, how meaningful and so much it means.

We had a coffee break at Zap Suyu Boutique Hotel, the shade is cool, it is a neat place with pleasure, we decided to look at the menu, they also included pictures of the dishes, everything looks great. We ordered “tirşik” and “Damascus meatball”, which is a special dish here, it was great.

We are walking around, Iraq is right in front of us, there is Zap Water 10 meters wide between us, Iraq is jumping. The old historical houses of this place, the streets. The military is very dominant here, we are safe.

We turn back from the road we came to Hakkari through the Zap Suyu canyons, which consist of high, steep and steep cliffs. Places where nice people live will greet you with a warm response, and you will feel the excitement of wanting to offer you something.

While Hakkari Meydan Madrasa was a neglected place in the past, it is open to visitors as a beautiful museum as a result of landscaping and maintenance with the contributions of the university.

We hear drum sounds, we found it by following the sound, there is a wedding. Long live the traditional Kurdish wedding, people are dancing halay and having fun. Almost all of the women are dressed in their most beautiful traditional clothes, wearing all the available jewelery and dancing halay to the accompaniment of Kurdish music. There are a lot of topics after the wedding, who wore what jewelery and how much, but most importantly, those who are stuck with the bride. For this, women, old and young, are all standing, ignoring what each other is wearing, to see if there is anything new or different from the past. At weddings here, the jewelery worn by the bride is important, belts, bracelets, necklace(s), necklaces, earrings must be worn, at least belts and necklaces. Afterwards, he should attend every possible wedding and show them, it’s very important! Normally, all of these should be gold, money like serious wealth, as a result of the increase in prices, they are made as gold plated, much more affordable prices, it seems to be incomprehensible, but the gossip does not end. Men are weird, a group of excited young people in their own way add color to the wedding. We joined them, we are in the halay caravan. It is obvious that we are foreigners, the owner of the wedding welcomed, interested, they were really glad that you joined them. The wedding is held by both the girl’s and the boy’s side. It is clear that the bride’s wedding will take the groom to Van and there will be a more magnificent wedding.

It was a nice day.

**

We are going to the 4th Sat Festival held in the Sat Lakes region in the Cilo Mountains. The road is long, we are on the road early in the morning, we left the main road and climb the steep mountain roads. Soldiers were positioned along the way so that there would be no trouble. We go up to 3300 meters, the weather is hot, steep and dusty dirt road, many vehicles are stuck on the road waiting for help. There are 23 lakes in this region, and although we are in the middle of summer, it is not possible to reach all of them due to snow and glaciers. There is snow around us, we are walking on the snow, in fact, we cannot walk, we slide. People have already started to settle and set up tents around the two adjacent goals. There are very steep and steep mountains all around, it is not easy to find a flat place. Precautions were strict, there were watchtowers and outposts on the tops of the surrounding mountains. These were the areas under the control of the PKK, until recently, but the festival was the place where no one came. In these places where severe winter conditions are experienced, it is hot up to 40 degrees in the daytime and cold at night. The lack of humidity is very good, when the sun is burning, life is good if you find a shaded place.

For lunch, we set our sights on the top of a rock, we climb over the snow, through the rocks, this place is okay, a lot of people have settled around the lake, too many. The traditional dish of this place, which is made with meat, meatballs, yoghurt and thyme, is “dogada”. Really awesome, slightly juicy, slightly sour yoghurt, very well cooked meat and meatballs. I didn’t expect anything like this here, it was delicious, well done to the person who made it, ten points.

People are setting up tents to spend the night here, necessary preparations are made, and a fire will be lit as well as enjoying a barbecue at a certain night. It is a situation where conditions are difficult but everyone is happy. We are not prepared to stay overnight, we are returning from the abyss on one side of the dirt road.

Cilo Mountains, one of the most beautiful places in my country, where we can all go safely today, which was under the control of the PKK in the past.

**

If you have not come here and accompanied the milking of sheep and goats on the Berçelan plateau, if you have not wrapped cheese on phyllo bread in the tents of the köçer, if you have not drank tea and chatted in tents, if you have not gone to the Cilo mountains and seen the beauties of the Sat lakes, if you have not rolled on the snow and ice in July, if you have not talked with the humble and respectful local people. If you listen to the pain they have experienced in the past and your heart does not ache; What are you doing, stay at home in Hakkari.

In the halay here, people hold hands, stand close to each other shoulder to shoulder, the weather is cold, they need each other’s warmth and solidarity, performing halay requires being together and acting as a whole. This is how life is in Hakkari, everything is difficult here, the weather is very cold in winter, and hot in summer, but they do not complain, they stand upright in the struggle for life. White-skinned, colored-eyed, Kurdish women are upright, individual, do not bend easily, they are not afraid of loneliness. Women are strong in Kurdish society, so they are always ahead of innovation and development. You cannot see bigoted women with black chadors.

The Kurds are one of the most important cultural mosaic stones of the geography of Turkey, which has its own traditions and unique culture.

If you still have questions that you do not understand or understand while returning to your home, get rid of your prejudices, what is missing is living together in brotherhood in our land.

Hakkari is a place as beautiful as you can imagine, the land of beautiful, loving young people.

 

Kind regards

Hayrettin Kagnici

July 2022