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Editorial of october 2000 Ubi
solitudinem faciunt pacem appellant. «When they make a desert, they call it peace.» - Tacite In the Kurdistan of Turkey, it is possible to go near to the Ararat Mount. In the small town of Dogubayazit, in the foothills of the mountain, some daily-trips propose a visit in a traditionnal "mountain" village - but not a Kurdish village, that’ll be the day ! – the Ararat village, indeed. And if you reserve your trip for that old village, in a local agency, a mini-bus takes you far tofew kilometers from Dogubayazit, on the road that leads to Agri, on one side, and Iran, on the other side. We notice that all the police and military roadblocks along the road let pass without control the touristic cars. It is no the same deal for bus and cars used by local people. Here, the inhabitants should accept many controls. At last the minibus stops and we get down in a grey plain, a desert entirely covered by dark dust. The "traditionnal" village is just few shacks, which many are ruined or unoccupied. Around, no field, no culture, few cattles. No water, except a source " the Ararat source" declared our guide, but dirty like a sewer. Women come however for collectong water. There few inhabitants too, less more men and some kids that follow you like little beggars and howl continuously "Hello, money !" And the Ararat mount is front of us, however, but grey, nude, hidden by the dust that blinds everybondy, that stays in each place, even in the streets of Dogubayazit. Is it really the "traditionnal mountain village" which we saw the pictures in the agency ? The explanation is evident : There is no mountain village. They have been burnt and destroyed, as every plains and mountains in this area, and the Ararat village has disappeared too. So, there is no village to visit and guides make do with this : a group of houses’ refugees, where they try to survey, between a national road, barracks, and their burned mountains. The last inhabitants of Ararat… In the car that leads us from Dogubayazit to Agri, these desolated landscapes are more numerous. An old Turmen, travelling in our side, show us with sadness the destroyed areas. Even stones are burnt. In some preserved places, we can watch how was the real country : meadows, poplars, sources, pretty and clean villages. Then these moonly landscapes, where we can just perceive dryed streams. This the post-war Kurdistan, the pacified Kurdistan. Sandrine Alexie
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