What Is The Nomad Way – Turkey

The Nomad Way – Turkey is the accumulation of the walkways used by nomads living in Turkey to reach the summer encampment areas generally situated in northern areas than the places where they pass their winter season. On the way back, the nomads use the same way to reach the winter quarters in southern areas of the country.

An Anatolan Turkmen nomad girl with her camels, Mersin Southern Turkey, 2020

With a secondary meaning, the Nomad way-Turkey is the way of living, perceiving, and practicing the life by nomads of Turkey, always in maximum accordance with nature and in the most practical way possible to ease their lifestyle quite difficult in plain nature.

Geographically, Turkey is situated along the east-west axis on the globe, just between the western edge of Asia and the eastern edge of Europe continents. That property brings to Turkey, not only a very rich cultural diversity but also a very rich geographical diversity in the meaning of infrastructure and the species abundance living between different geographical areas.

Nomads living in Turkey use this natural diversity to provide a multitude of the alimentary regime for the livestock that they feed, but also to prepare rich natural resources for their own seek.

Main nomadic routes used by the tribespeople of Turkey

Nomads in Turkey feed generally sheep and goats and do not prefer to have cattle because sheep and goats are more suitable nor nomadic life, do not need extra feeding material such as straw and other supplements, and only grazing on plains is enough for these animals. On the other hand, sheep and goat are monetary wise easy to liquidity in rural areas than cattle. Generally, one nomad family will need a minimum amount of 1oo sheep or goats to have an economical normal life enough to feed a family of parents and two children.

To maximize the productivity of the grazing activity, and to provide a suitable climate for the herds and themselves, nomads migrate between different altitudes. In the mid-spring to higher pastures towards the north, and mid-autumn to lower plains towards the south. The higher altitude and the northern headway will provide a later spring and fresh herbs for the nutrition of the sheep and goats, as well as a cooler atmosphere to make the animals and the tribe members comfortable for living in the hottest days of summer.

Anatolian Turkmens migrating to winter camps, Taurus Mountains, Turkey, 2016

After mid-autumn, the fall rains will make low altitude plains, full of grass again and the southern positioning of the winter quarters make life easier both for animals and the tribespeople as well.

The Nomad Way – Turkey means at the same time, the way or style Nomads of Turkey think and act to ease the difficult lifestyle they have, in harmony with nature. The isolated lifestyle to the main settlement centers allows Nomads of Turkey to feed huge herds of animals without causing any harm to the fields and agriculture activities of settled people, providing themselves protected areas from any danger coming from the outsiders, and be able to live and apply their distinct culture in their life. But on the other hand, this isolation means also the lack of technological novelties, modern medication, educational opportunities for children, and main economical activities.

The nomad Way – Turkey, applied by tribespeople in their daily life is a serial of practices based mainly on a multitude of knowledge and experiences taking the roots from the human-the materials used and the harmony with nature.

The nomad way to fix the tent wall to the tent ceiling

Goat skin water bag, the nomad way to make water containers for the daily use

Drying yogurt named “kurut or keshk”, nomadic way to preserve the dairy products

For example, the goat hair used to make the black tents as domicile, provide +-10 degree advantage by its acclimatization and isolation property to the weather conditions. This black cloth is also non-permeable to the rain, and reptiles and insects cannot walk on, due to very fine fiber coming out of the fabric. Or, pine, cedar or juniper trees are not suitable to bake bread because they make an excess of soot which will stick to the bread but at the same time, a very functional liquid named “tar” is obtained by the slow combustion of these woods which will be used as an appetizing syrup, antiseptic liquid, and a strong inset-snake blocker by its specific smell.

Anatolian Turkmen Black tent

By the accumulation of these experiences, a nomad individual is at the same time a doctor, a herbalist, a textile dyer, a weaver, a leather tanner, a surgeon, a dentist, an engineer, a hunter, a meteorologist, an animal trainer and many other things besides other roles in their life.

So The nomad Way – Turkey is the way to nature and human harmony in the high pasture, where wise men and women wait for you to discover their mysterious and adventurous life always welcoming you with their generosity and warm heart. Won’t you join this adventure to live the journey of your life? You are more than welcome!

The nomadic way of carrying babies, Shavak tribeswoman Tunceli, Eastern Turkey, 1988