[ezcol_1half]Turkey’s best known pastoral nomads are Yörüks, a general term for nomads in Turkish. Today, most of the Yörüks are settled but one group, the Sarakeçililer, migrate seasonally from the Mediterranean coast inland towards Middle Anatolia with their goat herds. The Sarakeçililer is an indigenous group believed to be descendants of Oghuz Turkiq tribes of Middle Asia, who migrated to Anatolia in the 11th century. However, the Yörük culture may well be a much older tradition. Their way of life is an amazing example of how people can really live in harmony with nature.[/ezcol_1half]

[ezcol_1half_end]Baris Koca’s photographs portray the life of one Sarikeçililer family migrating in 2014. He began taking photographs semi-professionally in 2001 for “Yolculuk (Travel) Magazine”, and since 2008 he has devoted himself fully to photography, especially in the field of nature. Some of his projects include: running photography workshops; contributing to National Geographic Türkiye Magazine and National Geographic Traveler Türkiye Magazine; teaching photography at TabSanat Art Academy; writing a column named “See the Nature Said” in Sorumluluk Magazine, etc.
Website and portfolio links: www.bariskoca.com/en[/ezcol_1half_end]