I was born in a very small, rural city in the southeastern part of Türkiye, called Adıyaman. Winters were dry and cold; summers were extremely dry and hot. During the summer, it was hard to spend time even inside the house, let alone outside, because the air conditioner was never enough. It is a city with a continental climate, mostly surrounded by plateaus. You can see a few shots from my city below. You can also read the city’s history more detailed by this link.
The society of the city is a mixture of Kurdish and Turkish people. Two dominant Islamic sects constitute the majority of the public: Alevi and Hanafi. Although my family embraces the Hanafi sect, I have always remained neutral because I am not Muslim. However, my lifestyle tends to be closer to Alevi culture.
Women are mostly underprivileged in this region. Due to narrow-minded people, women often cannot wear the clothes they wish to wear, or express every feeling they have. All of these restrictions have been instilled since childhood by families and society. These lands are full of history and life experience, but to be honest, in terms of equality and the comfort that society offers to women and men, it is very poor.
The thing that protected me from this mindset was the hundreds of books I read while I was growing up. These books reshaped my indoctrinated thoughts into a more contemporary version. Even my father was an obstacle to my freedom. However, I was always aware of what was wrong. I never accepted these limitations and oppressions.
I will always keep a deep respect for my homeland in my heart, but the mindset of society does not reflect anything from my soul. Still, I will continue to tell the stories of Mesopotamian women: the challenges they face, and the oppressed feelings they have been secretly carrying inside.
Below, you can see different faces belonging to Mesopotamian women from my family.
My aunt is with her friends. She has a white-collar dress.
She might be the person who inspired me most. She was a teacher and the first woman in my bloodline who could do whatever she wants that her family does not allow. She had a band with her friends, and she used to play electro guitar. To understand my perspective more you can take a look on my about page.
My aunt, my mother, and my uncle. My mom says, “We did not have any proper clothes, so my sister asked our neighbor for clothes to take a photo with her.”