Kars is one of the places in Turkey harboring great cultural abundance and natural diversity; it is also a place many intellectuals come from.
Kars has vast meadows and diverse vegetation that make it highly suitable for the advance of husbandry. The harsh climate and difficult to reach water sources have made this enterprise the livelihood of many. In fact, husbandry is so crucial to this geographic area that from the foundation of the Turkish Republic until the1960s, the provinces of Ardahan and Iğdır, where Kars is situated, have been named the most important meat reserves in the country. Following the early years of the Republic, and still continuing, is the pursuit of inadequate national agricultural policies; these have led Kars out of importance in the field, but it still holds an important place in cattle, goose and bee farming.
Since husbandry is an important economic sector for Kars, it is also the main source of income for the local people. Every household is involved in this activity, and one location where it turns into revenue is the animal market called “Mal Meydanı”. Another one are the abattoirs. Those two places help family members turn their labor into revenue. Out of these, Mal Meydanı takes place in the photographs of A. Kadir Ekinci, who has also lived in Kars. Mal Meydanı has been, and still is, the source of hope, safety and dreams. In this sense, by creating an album covering this topic, A. Kadir Ekinci will significantly contribute to the passing on of this culture to the next generations. My wish is that this very personal work which displays human hope is beneficial for today’s modern society, 06.07.2017.
Prof. Dr. Turgut Kırmızıbayrak
Kafkas University, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine
Head of Department of Animal Breeding and Husbandry
English
