Thirty-six years ago, 50 Kyrgyz Turk families migrated from the Pamir Mountains, "the roof of the world" as most call it, to Turkey's Van province to start a new life. There, they took an initiative to promote their culture and cuisine by opening a "han otağı" ("tent state") in a Central Asian yurt.
The Kyrgyz community has attracted a lot of attention from tourists for their Kyrgyz lifestyle, traditions and horse-riding skills. Their traditional Central Asian nomad houses were erected and the community turned its lifestyle into a tourist attraction for local people, as well as domestic and international tourists.
However, the families are now moving their lifestyle and "han otağı" to the central Anatolian city of Yozgat to boost local tourism activities.
The families have been settled in the houses built by the Housing Development Administration of Turkey (TOKİ) and have already erected their tents in the area designated for them. While the men are occupied with horse breeding and the leather trade, women weave carpets with traditional Kyrgyz motifs.
Speaking to Anadolu Agency (AA), Yenifarkılı Mayor Yalçin Karadavut said they invited Kyrgyz families to set up their tents in Yozgat plateau in order to promote the Kyrgyz lifestyle.
"We brought about 40 yılkı horses - wild horses - for the Kyrgyz to breed. Many locals and tourists come here to see the horses as well as the tents. We help the Kyrgyz community to create art as well as promote their lifestyle. Their crafts and cuisine is quite unique," said Mayor Karadavut.
Kasımbek Varol was one of the first to migrate to Van's Erciş district in 1982. He and his family came to Yozgat about two weeks ago to keep their culture alive in the steppes of central Anatolia.
"We life as the Kyrgyz in the Pamir Mountains. We produce 'kumis' the drink that is common among the Kyrgyz as well as the Uzbeks and Kazaks. We are also involved in leather crafts and animal breeding. We want to keep our lifestyle alive with the help of the local government," said Varol.
Varol also said that they want to create new tourism activity in the city by building a hotel from tents where guests can have a taste of the Kyrgyz lifestyle.
"When the guests arrive, they will learn to live without electricity, television and mobile phones. There are people who miss the simpler life. Here, they will learn our way of life and life before technology. We have been living in Turkey for almost 40 years. Now, we are in Yozgat to keep our traditions alive," Varol added.
Hatun Tarhan, another member of the Kyrgyz community, said they are happy to be in Yozgat. "People here are very helpful. We are getting to know each other. They are eager to learn our culture," she said.
