Modern Yörük - Nomads of Türkiye
by Kabasakal Alparslan
portfolio --scartato-- call 'Urbanautica Institute Awards 2024', 2024
Category: People and Communities
When I first learned about my ancestors' nomadic origins, I had no idea how drastically this
lifestyle had changed over the past century. The Yörük, nomadic tribes and families in Turkey's
Taurus Mountains who preserved this way of life for centuries, are facing extinction. At least, their
traditions are. The Anthropocene has left its mark on this culture as well.
This project began as a search for my own identity and evolved into a question about cultural
identity and tradition in an age of plastic, smartphones, and solar panels.
In a world obsessed with profit maximization and capital accumulation, self-sufficient lifestyles like
that of the Yörük are gradually disappearing. The optimism with which these people face the
future is astonishing, considering the growing threat to traditional ways of life in an increasingly
capitalist world. Yet, their lives bring us closer to a humanity that can perhaps only be found in the
depths of our own origins.
The life and culture of the Yörük are directly linked to the nomadic origins of the Turkic peoples
and are thus a cultural asset that must be supported.
also from Urbanautica Institute Awards 2024