Munzur and the Kurds
Today I was in Munzur National Park and this was definitely the greenest spot so far in Turkey. This amazingly beautiful river has its source in Munzur mountains which are all about 3000 metres high or more. There is still snow on the tops and the water is accordingly icecold which is sourcing as always as a runlet and just after around 50 metres already become a river with. Munzur water factory is taking their water right from there and selling it all over Turkey. There is a lot of water and there is also the myth about the honourable shepherd with a milk can in his hands who while running away from pilgrims that wanted to kiss his hands spilled the milk over Munzur mountains and wherever a drop fell down a water spring rose.
This place is important for Muslims and also for Kurdish people since Tunceli was formerly called Dersim which means “silver door” which was the gateway to Kurdistan and also an indication for the richness of minerals which are by the way nowadays mined just by foreign companies especially Canadians, the same like 
in Greece. In 1936 under Atatürk the name was changed, so where all the kurdish names in Turkey. This was turkish development as they called it. There where also in 1938 a huge genocide taking place in some rocks 20km from Tunceli called Dere Laç, I passed there just today and when I was told that about 100000 Kurds where killed there I had some same feeling coming up like I had when I was in Mauthausen in Austria.
in Greece. In 1936 under Atatürk the name was changed, so where all the kurdish names in Turkey. This was turkish development as they called it. There where also in 1938 a huge genocide taking place in some rocks 20km from Tunceli called Dere Laç, I passed there just today and when I was told that about 100000 Kurds where killed there I had some same feeling coming up like I had when I was in Mauthausen in Austria.I met some older Turks in Istanbul who wished Atatürk back and told me about the good progress he made and that wealth of western Turkey is based on this one person. In east side though I hear a little different stories and they do not share the same opinion…
Nowadays Munzur is been kept under surveillance by military because PKK should be hiding in this wild mountains. They have check points all over the place, burning down parts of the forest to see the enemy before approaching, cut down bridges over Munzur river and spend a whole sum of money in fancy military equipment to “keep the area safe” for normal people.
A newer idea of Turkish government is easy and also paying off. They just want to
flood the whole area with building dams again and gaining energy which lacks anyway. Some Austrian banks also give some credits again and the thing is done, 2 from 8 dams are already built, not yet in National Park area but not so far. People here really like this area for hiking and even more for picnic, which we did by the way today and it was really lovely. I saw the river and its picturesque landscape. There is also a rafting school in Ovacık and I am sure that kayakers would really enjoy it. This is maybe a solution, at least to safe the most beautiful spots. There should be an international kayak or rafting event, which is for sure really difficult to impossible to organise especially in this region but it´s definitely worth it. Actually if there would just be an EIA (Environmental Impact Assesment) made before building any dam it could safe not only some animals.
flood the whole area with building dams again and gaining energy which lacks anyway. Some Austrian banks also give some credits again and the thing is done, 2 from 8 dams are already built, not yet in National Park area but not so far. People here really like this area for hiking and even more for picnic, which we did by the way today and it was really lovely. I saw the river and its picturesque landscape. There is also a rafting school in Ovacık and I am sure that kayakers would really enjoy it. This is maybe a solution, at least to safe the most beautiful spots. There should be an international kayak or rafting event, which is for sure really difficult to impossible to organise especially in this region but it´s definitely worth it. Actually if there would just be an EIA (Environmental Impact Assesment) made before building any dam it could safe not only some animals.In Munzur region there is again very fragile nature with many endemic species, like the redfish (Kirmiyi Alabalik in turkish) or special variety of garlic. That´s why some places here are called Garlic Mountains. Furthermore there are again birds and more plants that are worth of protection.
This is just some abstract from the impact humans can take again on nature and their creatures including Homo sapiens evolved for a long time.
