Hemshin peoples

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Re: Hemshin peoples

The traditional Hemshinli lifestyle is almost dead - even as little as 15 years ago the summer pastures were still full of cattle, now they are almost deserted and the more remote yayla villages are abandoned and falling into ruin.

Ruinous houses in a yayla village above Elevit that is now about 90% abandoned even at the hight of summer. Its name is Hajivanak (or maybe Hachivanak).

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Re: Hemshin peoples

At the end of one summer the owners of this house must have left for their winter quarters as usual, piling up boulders against its entrance to keep the house safe. But they never returned for another summer.

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Graves that are orientated east-west, (not north-south like muslim graves)

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Outside and inside

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An old paved path leading to the yayla, the only method of access, becoming overgrown through lack of use.

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Mountain peaks at the head of the valley. Behind them lies the Hodichur valley.

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There is a path up that mountainside that leads to the Hodichur valley.

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The top of the Hodichur valley, descending from the pass over from the Tirevit valley in Hemshin

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Elevit - which is now lived in mostly by city dwellers who spend just a few weeks here for summer holidays. When they leave, they leave their rubbish piled up in the river bed.

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Re: Hemshin peoples

Elevit. The mosque is new, and lies on the site of a church. Elevit was still mostly Christian Armenian (not Hemshinli) until 1915, and before that was the last village in the region to remain openly Christian.