The daily life of the people of the Turkish heartland.
Photographer Nadir Bukan went to sparsely populated points of the Turkish region of van to show the lives of ordinary pastoralists and farmers that feed on the fruits of their hands.
Eastern van province is mainly inhabited by Kurds, living in tiny villages. Bukan moved there to teach at the local University, but soon began to spend my weekend in the villages, documenting village life. The relief of this region is mainly mountainous. The inhabitants are engaged in farming and the cattle graze on the surrounding hills where it is always cool. Help them with the nomads that come to the villages with their cattle and carried out in the highlands four months of the year.
“The life of the local residents are simple but they are happy, says Bukan. Technological development does not make humanity happy. I do not oppose technology, but they believe that they can become devastating if we suddenly lose control over them. When we compare civilizations of the past with our own, we see only the technological superiority of the modern world. But generations of the past are far ahead of us in culture, art and notion of happiness.”
The daily life of the people of the Turkish heartland
Boys on donkeys carry cans of milk. The path through steep rocky trails they do twice a day, as a pasture is located far from the village. Toreli, Wang, July 2013
Dog named Arslan protects the flock from wolves. Carpanak, Wang, December 2012
Children of nomads, plateau Cases, July 2012
Zubat goes to the milking with their children. The family lives in the mountain village of Toreli. June 2015
Twin sisters bought ice cream at a local shop. Delegate, Wang, July 2013
When the nomads derive of the herd to pasture, they burn the grass to keep warm. Nights in the highlands region of van is cold. On pastures it is necessary to spend four months of the year moving sheep from the warm South to the East. Bakhchisaray, van, June 2012
Boys clean animals in lake van. July 2012. (The water is six times saltier sea, and contains large quantities of carbonates, sulphates and sodium chloride. — Approx. ed.)
A click takes care of all the animals in the village, he lives away from home for four months, to ensure the animals plateau life in the open air. Wang, July 2016
The RAM fell ill, and took him away from the herd to take to the village for treatment. Wang, July 2013
Newborn baby donkey with its mother. Wang, July 2013
Girls brought the horses to graze. General description the van, may 2013
Mud houses in the villages almost gave place to buildings of reinforced concrete. Van, April 2011
Women bake bread in ovens. Gorundu, van, Jan 2017
Fatma with her granddaughter Avesta on the walk. Bakhchisaray, van, June 2015
Adil niece Rogin carries milk to the village. Toreli, June 2015
The village grocery store. GARANTAS, van, June 2012
In the snow, animals move in an organized column. Van, Feb 2017
The floor. Plateau Cesis, van, July 2012
Donkey carrying grass for sheep in the winter time twice a day. Goronda, January 2017
Women carrying cans of milk to the village. Wang, August 2011
The man leads the sheep into the barn. January 2013
Horses and burros are the most important helpers of the people of this region. Space, van, April 2013
After feeding of the herd, the man goes home. January 2015
Lake van is the largest lake in Turkey and at the same time largest soda lake in the world, so the locals call it lake Van
Dogs protect people and animals in the highlands
Women went for spring water. If the spring rains a little, the village will begin the lack of water. Wang, August 2011
Men sit at the grocery store
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