Apçağa...

Last week, in my column, I wrote a compilation titled "May is the Rose of the Months..." Truly, the month of May is beautiful in a unique way. The trip we took to the Kemaliye (Eğin) district on the last day of this month also left a deep impression on me. I couldn't help but share it with you. 

The 1978 graduates of the Ege University Faculty of Medicine, including my wife Dr. Esen Demir, have served this country for years. I joined a trip to Eastern Anatolia with these doctors who have maintained their friendship for half a century. It was organized under the leadership of Dr. Yılmaz Bay, the famous Pediatrician from İzmir Karşıyaka. The traditional EÜ Medicine '78 Graduates trips are organized as domestic and international tours respectively. If Yılmaz Bay hadn't been a doctor, he would have been a great tour guide or a successful organizer. 

We set off from Elazığ early on the morning of May 31. After seeing the Keban district and the dam, we passed through roads winding between the mountains. We arrived at a village after crossing streams and rivers flowing between hillsides and valleys covered in all shades of green. We were greeted by a sign that read, "Welcome to Apçağa village." The melodies of "There is a village far away, even if we don't go or see it, that village is our village..." welcomed us. That beautiful melody took us back to our childhood. We travelers, most of us from the Aegean region, began to wander around the village square in deep awe. We started to examine every corner of the village as if we had just bought a new book from a bookstore. 

After getting over the initial shock, we realized we had come to a village that was more than just a film set; it was restored and preserved, a place that would not leave our memories for years. Its streets are spotless. At the head of every street, signs saying "Leave your love, not your trash" caught our attention.

The houses, especially those with walls covered in wood, were interesting structures unique to the village. It is a village with a very special, unique architecture that has been preserved from the past to the present. 

It is a village that, like our village of Çomakdağ in Milas, Muğla, keeps its traditions and customs alive to this day. They continue to maintain the spirit of sharing, being one in joy and sorrow, in weddings and celebrations. This beautiful village is the Apçağa village of the Kemaliye (Eğin) district of Erzincan. We can call it one of our rare living Museum Villages. 

Apçağa is a word group of Oghuz Turkish origin, meaning "mother and her lamb."

Poet Ahmet Kutsi Tecer, who wrote the lyrics "Even if we don't go or see it, that village is our village" with the longing of not being able to go to his village in Sivas, served as a member of parliament for two terms. Although he was born in Jerusalem and took the name "Kutsi," he is from Apçağa.

Tecer's main contribution was to Anatolian folklore. He found thousands of melodies and recorded them on wax records. Three thousand of the records, known to number around ten thousand, were destroyed by ignorant bureaucrats. Many values of this country have been destroyed by some ignorant people. And they still are.... 

Another work of Tecer, for whom a Culture Museum was opened in Apçağa village, is "Aşık Veysel." The story is interesting and instructive. While Tecer was the Provincial Director of National Education in Sivas, he wanted to gather all the bards in the province and hold a "festival of bards" upon the order of M. K. Atatürk. Only one bard in the province did not attend the call. The bard who did not come was persuaded by force and brought in.

Tecer asked, "Where is your saz?" The incoming bard said, "I don't have a saz, I'm not a bard or anything, let me go back to my village." It turned out the bard had a valid reason for not attending the Bards' Festival. Every time the bard went down to the city, they would break his saz or take it from his hands. For those reasons, he insisted, "I am not a bard." To make a long story short! The bard was persuaded to attend the Bards' Festival. Who is that bard? He is our country's great bard, Aşık Veysel. It was Ahmet Kutsi Tecer who brought that Aşık Veysel to Turkish Folklore. 

Tecer, whose mother, father, and family were from "Apçağa," could only come to his village in the 1940s and is one of the rare values raised by our country.

Apçağa Village, which is very rich with its history, culture, and people, is also famous for its mulberries, walnuts, dried beans, black-eyed peas, and many other products. It is also the village of the famous British Sait Pasha of the Ottoman period and Sadık Perinçek, the MP father of Doğu Perinçek. 

I sincerely congratulate those who contributed, especially the villagers of Apçağa, who have preserved all their assets and wealth from the past to the present. We really liked it a lot.

Apçağa village, which we say "Even if we don't go or see it, that village is our village," is a village that must be seen and visited. It is especially satisfying in May, when spring turns into summer.

As I finish my article, I want to share a post that came to me on social media.

"If a holiday is about sharing;

Share not only your food, but also your smile, your time, and your love. May the burdens in hearts lighten, may souls celebrate.

May your heart be at peace, your table be abundant, and your path always be clear." with my wishes

Happy holidays...