The Brides of Kemaliye...

Last week, we were inspired by Ahmet Kutsi Tecer's poem, "There is a village far away,

That village is our village.

Even if we don't visit it, even if we don't wander there,

That village is our village." We couldn't get enough of the beauty of Apçağa, an open-air museum village that inspired this poem, and it was hard to leave. Leaving behind an exemplary village in every respect—from its air and water to its mulberries and wonderful people—we continued our journey toward Kemaliye. 

We couldn't help but watch the Kemaliye Canyon, the second-largest canyon in the world, and the district itself without blinking. 

Just as the great poet Nazım Hikmet asked, "Abidin! Can you paint the picture of happiness?", which writer or traveler could convey those beauties to you? It is not that easy to convey such beauty.

The district, formerly known as Eğin, was given the name Kemaliye, inspired by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.

Still, let me try to define and describe it for you. The district's land and the canyon are surrounded by the Munzur, Palandöken, Çaldağ, Harmancık, and Sarıçiçek mountains, in the region where the Karasu (Euphrates) River, which flows through the district from northwest to southeast, meets the Keban Dam Lake. It consists of steep, hat-dropping slopes and rugged terrain. After the roads on the slopes of the Himalayas in Northern India, where I traveled two years ago, these are the most challenging roads I have ever seen. 

As nature becomes harsher, life naturally becomes very difficult. When life is difficult, who suffers the most? Naturally, it is women. It has been this way throughout history. Oh, our women, how much they have suffered. When I think of suffering women, Nazım Usta comes to mind again...

And women

our women;

with their terrifying and sacred hands

their slender, small chins, and huge eyes

our mothers, our wives, our beloveds

and those who die as if they had never lived

and their place at our table

that which comes after our ox

and whom we kidnapped to the mountains and served prison time for

and in the harvest, the tobacco, the firewood, and the market

and harnessed to the black plow and in the sheepfolds

in the glint of knives stuck in the ground

women who are ours with their swaying, heavy hips and bells

....

The brides of Kemaliye; they have experienced the greatest pain, the greatest longing, and the deepest yearning. Perhaps the contribution to the waters of the Euphrates, which flow still and silent but turn turbulent at the depths, has been the tears shed by those women for years. After all, its name is Euphrates. 

At the entrance of the district, dozens of 'manis' (traditional folk poems) have been hung along the roadside by the municipality on the 'mani path.' You can read them endlessly. As you read these poems, you realize the immense longing and deep pain they endured.

These poems emerged primarily between the 18th century of the Ottoman era and 1938, the early years of the Republic of Turkey. Şevket Hoca recounted them to us through stories. Let us share one of them...

A young man who left Eğin by mule via Giresun for Istanbul finds work at the Palace. At the same time, he studies and improves himself, and years later, he becomes a Pasha in Egypt. He writes a letter to his wife in the village. He says, 'I have become a Pasha in Egypt; get ready, I will pick you up on my way.' His wife, whom he has not seen for years in the village, writes at the bottom of the letter: 'The cool corner of the deep streams, 

The bottle of my heart has shattered, 

I heard you have become the Pasha of Egypt,

My youth has passed, 

What use are you to me now...'

In Kemaliye, where life and nature are harsh and rugged, there are also various opportunities for adrenaline-pumping outdoor sports. It is a district rich in many areas.

In Kemaliye, the Prof. Dr. Ali Demirsoy Natural History Museum is another place that must be seen. At the entrance of the museum, a mammoth-like elephant skeleton (I believe it is Ayşe the Elephant from the İzmir Fair) greets you with charm. I would like to thank Professor Ali, Professor Şevket, and everyone else who contributed. 

After having our meat-heavy lunch next to the gushing waters, we set off. Under the guidance of Dr. Yılmaz Bay, the cheerful organizer Cuma Gülnar transferred to our bus. With his guidance, we left behind even more beautiful memories. I would like to thank the entire tour group for allowing us to experience these beauties.

Kemaliye? It must be seen...