Ulupamir is a neighbourhood of the municipality and district of Erciş,

Van Province Van Province (, , Armenian: Վանի մարզ) is a province and metropolitan municipality in the Eastern Anatolian region of Turkey, between Lake Van and the Iranian border. Its area is 20,921 km2, and its population is 1,128,749 (2022). ...

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

. Its population is 1,544 (2022). The village is located 132 kilometres from Van and 32 kilometres from Erciş. The village shares Turkey's continental climate zone.

History

Ulupamir (meaning ''Great Pamir'') is a village of mostly Kyrgyz. They came from the

Great Pamir The Great Pamir or Big Pamir is a U-shaped, grassy valley (or pamir) forming the eastern part of the Wakhan Corridor in northeastern Afghanistan, in the Pamir Mountains. The area is home to a diverse range of animals and has traditionally been u ...

and

Little Pamir The Little Pamir ( Wakhi: ''Wuch Pamir''; Kyrgyz: ''Kichik Pamir''; ) is a broad U-shaped grassy valley or '' pamir'' in the eastern part of the Wakhan in north-eastern Afghanistan. The valley is 100 km long and 10 km wide, and is bou ...

in the

Wakhan Wakhan, or "the Wakhan" (also spelt Vakhan; Persian and , ''Vâxân'' and ''Wāxān'' respectively; , ''Vaxon''), is a rugged, mountainous part of the Pamir, Hindu Kush and Karakoram regions of Afghanistan. Wakhan District is a district in ...

, northern

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

, in 1982. They fled to

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

in 1978 in the aftermath of the

Saur Revolution The Saur Revolution (; ), also known as the April Revolution or the April Coup, was a violent coup d'état and uprising staged on 27–28 April 1978 (, ) by the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA), which overthrew President of Afghan ...

. However they did not adjust well to the hot Pakistani climate and the unsanitary conditions of the refugee camp, so much so that 450 of them lost their lives. They requested 5,000 visas from the United States Consulate in

Peshawar Peshawar is the capital and List of cities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by population, largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. It is the sixth most populous city of Pakistan, with a district p ...

for resettlement in

Alaska Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...

(a region that shares the climate and temperature of the Wakhan). Their request was denied. To solve this situation the group leader proposed to go to Turkey as immigrants and submitted a request for help to the Turkish Embassy in Pakistan. Kyrgyz from

region of

moved to

in the 1970s. Nearly 1,100 of these were accepted by

to settle in Ulupamir (or “Great Pamir” in Kyrgyz), their resettlement village in

. The Turkish Military Government, led by

Kenan Evren Ahmet Kenan Evren (17 July 1917 – 9 May 2015) was a Turkish military officer and dictator who served as the seventh president of Turkey from 1980 to 1989. He assumed the post by leading the 1980 military coup. On 18 June 2014, a Turkish cou ...

, having recently taken power in the September 12th coup, accepted this request. 1,150 of the Kyrgyz were taken to

Adana Adana is a large city in southern Turkey. The city is situated on the Seyhan River, inland from the northeastern shores of the Mediterranean Sea. It is the administrative seat of the Adana Province, Adana province, and has a population of 1 81 ...

by plane. After this they were separated between

Malatya Malatya (; ; Syriac language, Syriac ܡܠܝܛܝܢܐ Malīṭīná; ; Ancient Greek: Μελιτηνή) is a city in the Eastern Anatolia region of Turkey and the capital of Malatya Province. The city has been a human settlement for thousands of y ...

and Van Provinces. In 1983, the government of

Turgut Özal Halil Turgut Özal (13 October 192717 April 1993) was a Turkish politician, bureaucrat, engineer and statesman who served as the eighth president of Turkey from 1989 to 1993. He previously served as the 26th prime minister of Turkey from 1983 ...

settled them in the village of Ulupamir where 3,850 Kyrgyz Turks now live. The settlement was deliberately aimed at Turkifying the Kurdish-majority region and was heavily criticized and compared to Israel building Jewish settlements in occupied Palestinian territories. The documentary film '' 37 Uses for a Dead Sheep - the story of the Pamir Kirghiz'' was based on the life of these Kyrgyz in their new home.

Culture

The village has a cultural organization called the "Pamir Cultural Education Organization" () which attempts to preserve their cultural and family traditions and hand crafts. .Türk Dünyası Kültür ve Sanat Dergisi ''Türksoy'' Sayı : 22 Ocak 2007 .

Traditions

Generally speaking, they have an older Turkic culture. They are very hospitable and are known for their folk dances and colorful weddings. Every year in June there is an ''

Ayran Ayran ( ) is a cold savory yogurt-based beverage that is consumed across Central Asia, and the Balkans, in Turkey and Iran. The principal ingredients are yogurt, water and salt. Herbs such as mint may be optionally added. Some varieties are ...

Fair'' which works to preserve the village's identity and unique culture. The event starts by reading the

Epic of Manas The ''Epic of Manas'' is a lengthy and traditional epic poem of the Kyrgyz people of East and Central Asia. Versions of the poem which date to the 19th century contain historical events of the 8th century, though Kyrgyz tradition holds it to be ...

, with traditional clothes, handcrafts, decorations and symbols on display. The national sport of the Kyrgyz, the mounted "Kökbörü" (Gökböğrü or Buskashi) is played as well as an eating contest.

Food

The traditional foods include manti stuffed with beshbarmak, Kyrgyz rice, bread and meat, different types of meat and cheese

börek ''Börek'' or burek or byrek is a family of pastries or pies made in the Middle East and the Balkans. The pastry is made of a thin flaky dough such as filo with a variety of fillings, such as meat, cheese, spinach, or potatoes. A borek may be ...

and various types of doughy food.

Economy

The village's economy is based primarily on agriculture and animal husbandry.

References

{{Authority control Neighbourhoods in Erciş District Turkish people of Afghan descent Ethnic Kyrgyz people