Once again, we were out with Ömer for our own physical exercise after a long winter in the Taurus, this time taking us to the mountain village of Sarihacilar. During a previous hike we came across the mountain village, which at that time only had a few inhabitants and most of the houses had collapsed and were abandoned.

At that time we first heard about the plans to rebuild the village as a museum village and were amazed when, a little later, during another hike, we came across the first works in the village centre.

Circular areas indicate the threshing of the grain

The ancient stone houses are to be rebuilt in their original form.

Since the construction consists of loosely layered field stones, which are only connected by wooden support layers with cross connectors, one could speak of real restoration here. A museum about local farming culture should also be set up.

There were once terraced fields in the area that were used to grow grain, but today they are only used for grazing goats and sheep. Even today, countless paved circular areas indicate the threshing of the grain. The terraced areas are also very clearly visible; today they form bright green, short-cropped grass areas.

“Children of today are adults of tomorrow”

The village centre with a few stone houses had now been restored and the museum was to be ceremoniously opened as part of the annual children's festival.

In Turkey, the Day of the Child (Ulusal Egemenlik ve Çocuk Bayramı) was introduced on April 23rd in 1920, at the same time as the state was founded, a great reason for this year's 16th Antalya Children's Festival to take place in Sarihacilar. Children's Day is celebrated worldwide to raise awareness of children's rights.

The nature of its focus ranges from a holiday for children to political actions intended to raise public awareness of children's rights in order to better enforce them.

In 1921, the Grand National Assembly of the successor state to the Ottoman Empire met in Samsun for the first time.

The National Assembly elected Mustafa Kemal as its leader the next day. After proclaiming the founding of the Republic of Turkey, Mustafa Kemal dedicated April 23rd to children as a national holiday, which is still celebrated today, under the motto "Children of today are adults of tomorrow."

A worthy occasion to properly celebrate the opening of the museum and village.

Absolute silence, deeply lost in your own thoughts

23 groups of children from 15 countries came to celebrate this international children's festival in Sarihacilar. More than 800 guests in the otherwise almost uninhabited village.

A lot of effort was put into providing the guests with food and drink, and a colourful program with dance groups in their respective traditional costumes ensured a relaxed atmosphere and fun up here on the Taurus Mountain pastures. During our hiking tour we could hear the hustle and bustle from a long distance away.

Otherwise deeply immersed in our own thoughts due to the absolute silence, there were disco sounds on the Hochalm today.

We also visited the museum, which, in addition to the historical construction, also shows a number of cultural assets from the region. Reference is made to agriculture and livestock breeding, which once supplied the rural population. Unfortunately, here too, lovable cultural assets are mixed with plastic dummies of oxen and other animals that once served as helpers in agriculture. Perspective is important, but sometimes less is more.

After a little refreshment with biscuits and tea, which was offered, we continued our hike again. Ultimately happy to be back in the peace and quiet of the mountains.

By the way: If you are interested in further hikes in Turkey, we recommend Kate Clow's hiking guides. Please follow the link!

Please read as well:

Hiking in an apostle’s footsteps: the St. Paul Trail

Hiking to the cable car to the Kanzelwand near Riezlern