The People of the Kackar Mountains

Life in the Kaçkar highlands is read more by the language of nature than by a calendar. The receding snow, the scent of the earth, the dispersing mist… Each is a harbinger of a new beginning. With spring, closed doors open, the silence of the long winter gives way to the rhythm of movement. Herds slowly move upwards, paths become distinct again, and roads bearing the traces of the same footsteps for years begin to fill with the sounds of human voices once more.

Highland houses are not just shelters, but places where memories are preserved. Every creaking door, every smoke from the hearth carries a trace of the past. Families don't just live here; they produce, share, and learn. Milking, cheese making, mowing, animal care… All these tasks are not tied to specific times of the day, but to the flow of nature. Time here is not measured, it is felt.

The rhythm of daily life is simple but intense. The activity that begins in the early morning hours continues with production throughout the day. The division of labor between women and men is clear, but this distinction is shaped more by habits than by rigid rules. Everyone's role is defined; everyone is part of the system. This system may seem primitive from the outside, but it is actually an extremely balanced and sustainable structure.

One of the most striking aspects of the Kaçkar people is their way of transmitting knowledge. There is unwritten knowledge, passed down from generation to generation without diminishing. Which herb is good for what, which cloud brings rain, which wind is dangerous… This knowledge lives not in books, but in people's memories. And this memory preserves not only knowledge, but also a way of life.

Time spent in the highlands is completely detached from the speed of city life. There is no rush, no unnecessary chaos. A person exists only to the extent that they can remain in harmony with nature. This brings with it a different kind of tranquility. A quiet, unpretentious, yet profound life.

Although the people of the Kaçkar Mountains seem to be outside the modern world, they have actually managed to establish a different balance in its face. Their lives are based more on production than consumption; more on continuity than speed; more on communal living than individualism.

This writing is an invitation to understand not only a geography, but also the people shaped within that geography, their habits, and the unseen knowledge.