The daily life of the people of the Turkish heartland

• The daily life of the people of the Turkish heartland

Photographer Nadir Bukan went to the sparsely populated area of the Turkish region of Van, to show the lives of ordinary farmers and farmers who feed on the fruits of their own hands.

In the photo: The shepherds wear coats, lined with felt, to keep warm, but also carry a weapon for protection against wild animals. Alakaynak province of Van, in April 2015

Eastern province of Van is mainly populated by Kurds living in tiny villages. Bukan moved back to teach at the local university, but soon began to spend their weekends in the villages, documenting village life. The relief of the terrain is mostly mountainous. Residents are engaged in farming and cattle graze on the surrounding hills, where it is always cool. Help them in this nomads who come to the village with his cattle in the highlands and spend four months a year.

"The life of the locals is simple, but they are happy - says Bukan. - Technological developments do not make mankind happy. I'm not against technology, but I think that they can become destructive if we suddenly lose control over them. When we compare the past with our civilization, we see only the technological superiority of the modern world. But the last generation are far ahead of us in culture, art and the concept of happiness. "

The boys on donkeys carrying cans of milk. The path up the steep rocky paths they accomplish twice a day, as pasture is far away from the village. Toreli Wang, July 2013

The dog named Arslan defends the flock from wolves. Karpanak, Van, December 2012

The children of nomads plateau Kesis, July 2012

Zubeyt goes for milking with their children. The family lives in a mountain village Toreli. June 2015

The twins are buying ice cream in the village shop. Deregazi Wang, July 2013

When the output nomads herd on pasture, they burn the grass to keep warm. Van nights are cold in the highlands region. The pastures have to spend four months of the year, moving the sheep from the warm south east. Bakhchisaray, Van, June 2012

The boys cleaned the animals in the lake Van. July 2012. (The water is six times as salty, and contains large amounts of carbonates, sulfates and sodium chloride -. Ed.).

NamIT takes care of all the animals in the village, he lives away from home for four months to allow the animal life on the plateau outdoors. Wang, July 2016