Remains of Ahura: Ethnographic Traces of a Vanished Village on Mount Agri

Abstract

Mount Agri is one of the most well-known mountains on the globe for its natural, cultural and historical aspects. Established in a deep valley on the northern slopes of this majestic mountain, the village of Ahura (now known as Yenidoğan Village), which has a deep-rooted historical past, was a frequent destination for travelers, scientists and missionaries who visited Mount Agri in different centuries throughout history. The village, which gained a "sacred mythological" character over time due to the belief that the prophet Noah and his children spread throughout the world from here, left its mark on the cultural geography of Mount Agri in the 19th century. Although Ahura Village, whose foundation dates back to the 8th century, was destroyed by a destructive mass movement associated with an earthquake in 1840, it was rebuilt shortly afterwards, and the village has continued its existence until today. With its ethnographic structure, this study aims to make the untold story of the historical village of Ahura, which has a local history of natural disasters, audible to increase the visibility of this ancient village, and to draw attention to the geographical risks reminiscent of the extinction in 1840 and to the causes and consequences of migration, which has become a chronic problem in recent years. Based on fieldwork and interviews conducted between 2022 and 2024, this study reveals that Ahura Village has become a place of memory for local residents, that despite local disadvantages and geographical risks, village residents over a certain age have established a bond of belonging to the place where they live, and that migration has accelerated in the recent past (especially among young people) as the region has lost its socio-economic attractiveness.

Keywords

• Migration
• Mount Agri
• Ahura village

Ahura’dan Kalanlar: Ağrı Dağı’nda Yok Olan Bir Köyün Etnografik İzleri

Öz

Ağrı Dağı, doğal, kültürel ve tarihsel yönüyle yerküre üzerinde en çok bilinen dağlardan biridir. Bu görkemli dağın kuzey yamaçlarında derin bir vadide kurulan ve köklü bir tarihsel geçmişe sahip olan Ahura köyü (şimdiki adı Yenidoğan köyü), tarih boyunca farklı yüzyıllarda Ağrı Dağı’nı ziyaret eden seyyahların, bilim insanlarının ve misyonerlerin uğrak yeriydi. Nuh peygamber ve çocuklarının buradan dünyaya yayıldığı inancı nedeniyle zamanla “kutsal mitolojik” bir özellik kazanan köy, 19.yüzyılda Ağrı Dağı’nın kültürel coğrafyasına damgasını vurmuştu. Kuruluş tarihi, 8. yüzyıla kadar uzanan Ahura köyü, 1840’ta depremle ilişkilendirilen yıkıcı bir kütle hareketiyle yerle bir olmasına rağmen kısa bir süre sonra yeniden kurulmuş ve günümüze kadar varlığını devam ettirmiştir. Bu çalışma, etnografik yapısıyla, yerel bir doğal felaket geçmişi olan tarihi Ahura köyünün anlatılmamış hikayesini duyulur kılmayı, bu kadim köyün görünürlüğünü artırmayı, 1840’taki yok oluşu hatırlatan coğrafi risklere ve son yıllarda kronik bir sorun haline gelen göçün nedenlerine-sonuçlarına dikkat çekmeyi amaçlamaktadır. 2022-2024 yılları arasında gerçekleştirilen saha çalışmaları ve mülakatlara dayanan bu çalışma, Ahura köyünün yerel köy sakinlerinin hafıza mekânına dönüştüğünü, yerel dezavantajlara ve coğrafi risklere rağmen belirli bir yaş üstü köy sakinlerinin yaşadıkları yere karşı bir aidiyet bağı kurduklarını ve yakın geçmişte bölgenin sosyo-ekonomik cazibesini yitirmesiyle göçün hızlandığını (özellikle gençler arasında) ortaya koymaktadır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Göç
• Ağrı Dağı
• Ahura köyü

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