I was born in a remote village in Turkey. It’s located in the northeast part of Turkey. It’s called Gökçedere, named after a tiny river dividing the village into two parts. Though, this isn’t the original name. It had a different name before, Pulur. The village is pretty old, going back as far as the 16th century. The village has been under the reign of different empires and states. It was once an important path to commercial activities. Commercial activities brought people from different regions. People from Central Asia migrated to the village in waves. Nevertheless, it’s unclear when and how it happened. Thus, the village people have very nomadic traditions. It gives a sense of remnants of the nomadic culture.
The nomadic culture and traditions appear in food, language, goods, and clothing. For instance, dried yogurt and meat are still popular. Nomadic people used to dry things to easily relocate from one place to another. It was especially important while people were horseback riding. When it comes to goods, there are mattresses made of grass or mini tables. On top of nomadic culture, the village has different influences from closer regions. People have been migrating from different parts of the region such as Armenia, Georgia, Iran, and north center Turkey, and other parts of Central Asia. Therefore, there are other subcultures that have been integrated into the nomadic culture.
I took a couple of photos from the region.
