Road from Cizre to Midyat. This picture is taken by me like pictures in this blog usually are. In many international news about my deportation from Turkey it was told that I have written PhD thesis and two books about the Kurds. My doctoral dissertation (The Invisible War in North Kurdistan) is in internet: http://ethesis.helsinki.fi/julkaisut/val/sospo/vk/koivunen
But as the two other books are in Finnish language, there is no information about them. So I better explain a little bit. The names of the books are Sankarimatkalijan Kaakkois-Turkki (Adventure traveller’s guide to Southeast Turkey) and Teetä Kurdistanissa (Tea in Kurdistan).
I present now the travel guide and then some other time “Tea in Kurdistan” which is a collection of travel stories.
I present now the travel guide and then some other time “Tea in Kurdistan” which is a collection of travel stories.
I tried to paste here the cover page of the book but as I am a beginner in using blogger I don't know how to do it. I will add it later.
As I have been many times in Southeast Turkey I wrote down my experiences and practical information so that people can read the book instead of asking me. The book has 301 pages, and as I know there is until now there is only one other travel guide book about Southeast Turkey, it has two parts. (Azer Bortaçina: Doğu Anadolu, Yayınlayn Ekin Grupu 2005; Güneydoğu Anadolu 2005). Lonely Planet and other guide books which present whole Turkey tell very little about the Southeast despite it is the most rich area in Turkey in culture and history.
My book was published August 2006. When I was arrested in Van December 2006 the police claimed me that the Turkish Ministry of Internal Affairs had done in August 2006 the decision that I am not permitted to enter Turkey due to the security of the state.
Adventure traveller's guide to Southeast Turkey has tree parts, they are:
1. Common travel information, like how to find a hotel and travel by bus etc (91 pages)
2. Kurdish districts and towns (124 pages):
Amed: Diyarbakır, Kahta
Botan: Mardin, Batman, Siirt, Hasankeyf, Cizre, Sırnak, Midyat
Dersim: Tunceli
Serhat: Van, Doğubayazit, Kars, Hakkari, Yüksekova, Semdinli
Amed: Diyarbakır, Kahta
Botan: Mardin, Batman, Siirt, Hasankeyf, Cizre, Sırnak, Midyat
Dersim: Tunceli
Serhat: Van, Doğubayazit, Kars, Hakkari, Yüksekova, Semdinli
3. Information about Kurdish culture and the Kurdish question (79 pages):
Culture: History, Kurdish language, newroz, Mem û Zin, yezidis, ramazan, Kurdish festivals, Kurdish women
Culture: History, Kurdish language, newroz, Mem û Zin, yezidis, ramazan, Kurdish festivals, Kurdish women
The Kurdish question: The history of the Republic of Turkey from Kurdish perspective, Military coup 1980, Human Rights, Turkey vs. European Union, USA and its neighbour countries, Kurdish nationalism, Kurdish civil society
(Also the two other sections are written with special attention to the Kurdish culture and human rights.)
With this book also people who can speak neither Kurdish or Turkish and have no previous knowledge about Turkey can travel to these Kurdish towns. In addition to practical information (like hotel telephone numbers and web pages where is information about Kurdish festivals) there are also lots of tips and links for those who want to find further information.
My two books are published by LIKE and it will also publish my third book next autumn. It tells about life in Van, my favourite city in Turkey. LIKE and I haven’t yet agreed the name of the book.
LIKE has a serie of travel guide books for courageous travellers: Southeast Turkey, Tallinn, St Petersburg, Warzaw, Krakow, Sofia, Vilna, Far Island, Arkangel. Next year is coming also guide book to Bosnia and Herzegovina.
LIKE is preparing a brochure in English about the travel guide books. They will participate both London Book Fair this spring and Frankfurt Book Fair next autumn. If someone is interested in publishing in English (or other language) the guide to Southeast Turkey, please contact me or LIKE.
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