One of the most important leb-i derya tourism centers of Thrace IgneadaMost of those who will go to Pınarhisar, no matter where they set off, will first of all go to Pınarhisar. Poyrali villageThey arrive at Igneada via Demirkoy by following the route that turns into a single road here. The next stop on the road that slowly rises towards Istrancalar with the village of Poyralı village of IslambeyliStop. In my opinion, it has the most beautiful panoramic view of Strandja, which has a different beauty in every season. It has meanings for me beyond being the village where I spent the first years of my childhood. The most important of these is that it was at the beginning of my decision to prepare the Thrace Travel Guide.
Let me tell you even if I betray my age, I remember the Islambeyli of almost half a century ago; These were the years when the Balkan villages in the vicinity were still very active, like here, and the village economy was able to manage itself. Then there was such an influx of industrial areas in Thrace, especially in Çerkezköy, that, like all Balkan villages, İslambeyli it collapsed in an instant. Young and relatively middle-aged villages emptied. The sound stopped from the streets. When the holidays will come, we are longing that we will see those old grudge crowds. There was no one left but the old people in front of the porta.
Thrace Travel GuideWhile preparing the . I have always been very excited to bring it to the reader, even if I come across a small story that can inspire someone else in this vast geography called Thrace, especially in Islambeyli and the Strandja, where it lives, and that contains a shred of hope.
In this article, I am happy to share a story that I have delayed for a long time so that it is not perceived as a favor to its own villagers. If you say the happiness of telling the story of a woman who returned to her village years ago through reverse migration and who, beyond clinging to life in the way she knows best, inspires those who will follow her, it is completely different.
With the dough of your hand…
Ayten YAVAŞ is one of the women who believe that they can overcome anything with the dough of their hands and who do not give up on this cause. He was still a child, at the age of thirteen, he left his village like many others and migrated to the big city. Istanbul fell to his fortune. He built his life here, worked hard and finally decided to retire and return to his village, Islambeyli. Ayten YAVAŞ, who wanted to experience the pleasure of being retired for a while, realized that this recession had turned into something consuming for a working person and started to think about what she could do. You know, he didn’t find the answer he was looking for too far away. As a village woman, she preferred to hang on to life in the way she knows best and is used to. With the advantage of Islambeyli being on a busy tourism road, she started to sell daily and seasonal food products prepared for her home. After a while, when he saw that he had the awareness he wanted, he started to work with more enthusiasm.
For a long time, he took his bench out on the road that fell for the sake of his house in Islambeyli, just across from the village mosque. There is summer, there is winter. When things started to walk, the traffic stopped with the passing vehicle and the trade started, this situation also created an interest for the projects that offer rural development proposals. He consolidated his position by renting one of the container stalls donated by the Pınarhisar District Governorate to the village headmen in order to support rural development in the villages.
Nowadays, he sells his sourdough bread, honey, butter, milk, noodles, couscous, whatever he produces at this counter. But it is most famous for its sourdough village bread. Let alone those who approached in front of the counter with their own passenger car, even the insistence of the passers-by stopped the huge Igneada buses in the village square. This awareness paved the way for other women in the village to appear more prominently, and for them to open new stalls and contribute to the household economy with what they produce.
“Dough Sister” they call him. Ayten SLOW… He starts the day by holding the dough for dozens of sourdough village breads that he produces in various weights every day. She combines the practicality of being a village woman with her hand skills and taste, and brings the bread dough she rests on the boat to the fire in the village bakery located in a corner of her house. The rest is indescribable… Aunt Hamur, who has added to the awareness of the social media with its power that can reach everyone, does not only sell to those who come to the village, but also produces as much bread as possible for those who want it from the surrounding area. Some days, they deliver their produce to nearby settlements, Pınarhisar, Lüleburgaz and Kırklareli by various means. In fact, the drivers of Igneada buses are almost fed up with the offers of “bring bread from Islambeyli, Hamur Abla” during their reciprocal and regular trips between Istanbul and Igneada. It’s not a joke, it’s completely true, what I’m talking about.
I personally witnessed an incident in one of the country restaurants in Demirköy, which is famous for its scenery. A family from Istanbul, who went to Igneada in their own vehicle, sent their bread back when the table was being set, and sent their children to their car to bring a big loaf of bread from Islambeyli, the smell of which still came to the side tables. When they politely explained the situation to the restaurateur, whom they thought might be offended, their response was more surprising. “Is your bread from Aunt Hamur from Islambeyli? We have come across this situation so often that we try to get as much of our bread as possible from there. No problem !”
I leave the contact information and social media accounts here. On the occasion of March 8, International Working Women’s Day, when I published the article, this content is a small gift from me to our kissable ladies in the presence of Ayten YAVAŞ. Moreover, I have to apologize for throwing back the story of an elder who made me proud of someone from the village where I spent my childhood, while I was publishing who’s success stories…
Now it’s your turn, for all of us… Just like Ayten YAVAŞ, married with her dimple smile; From now on, it is our duty to support the women who produce, write those inspiring success stories nourished by their own roots, and support their home economy in the way they know best. Especially at a time when the importance of natural nutrition is much more prominent, we should support all their efforts with the “paste of their hands” and applaud their efforts.
Dough Sister
Rural Development Sales Stand / İslambeyli Village – Pınarhisar
Note: Photos are used from Hamur Abla facebook page.
