Izmirian Discovery: Turkish Customs

Samandag is a more conservative environment than all the places I have been in Turkey so far. I was making my way back up the Mountain and in the process of changing busses a man approaches me and says in English. Follow me. He was impeccably dressed in a very nice suit and tie. He takes me to his office and sits me down and offers me tea.

From Musa Dagh

He is Sekip Suadiye. He is a type of Real Estate agent commission salesman. He wants to know why am here and how can he help. He has worked in Kuwait with the British, Americans and Australians in 1980 - 1990 as an engineer. For someone who has not spoken English for 10 yrs he was a blessing and his English was good. I gave him a brief rundown on my trip and he wants to take me to the village and help me. So off to Vakif we go in his nice Peugeot. Once there it becomes apparent that the man who was going to meet me here is not here. By coincidence Lisa rings me from Australia and the Armenian man wants to talk to her. Sekip does not speak Armenian, I don’t speak either and here I go again on the language merry go round. Sekip tells me as a result of noone being here he is going to take me for a trip around the villages. And don’t even think of paying. According to the Armenian, I can not climb Musa Dagh Mountain as the Kurdish rebels are operating in the mountains with the Turkish Military looking for them. It is too dangerous to go to the top of the Mountian. We stop at a roadside stall and buy some local Cucumbers to eat on the way.

From Musa Dagh

Sekip is an educated man and we discuss many different subjects including the local culture. Sekip relies on the community coming to him to sell their properties and or vehicles. His reputation is the most important thing in the town. When I came from Iskenderun to Samandag the men sat side by side and the women sat in different seats. Men and women could not sit together unless married. One of the most interesting customs to come out of my discussions was the impact of getting married. I offered to take Sekip and his wife to a restaurant for dinner. Sekip explained he could not. Sekip has a bachelor friend of 19 yrs and can not see him in public for a meal with this wife. The three of them can not go out together, and the friend can not come to his house. The community would be asking questions about why are the 3 of them together? So when a man gets married he can only see his single friends alone. Sekip knows it is stupid but his reputation in the community is invaluable to his business and must abide by the traditions. We both agree being ignorant is the best place to be, but that ignorant people are the most dangerous.
I went to the villages Sam and Lucy’s family originate from. I had no hope of identifying any properties as Sekip did not know. Sams home village with the tree that is allegedly 2000 years old and grew from the walking stick left here by Moses.