ŞIRNEX - Hatice İnal, who makes her living by making coffee with the kezwan she collects at the foothills of Cûdî and Gabar Mountains, said: “Our business has slowed down due to tree cutting. Because kezwan trees are also being cut down.”

 

The destruction of nature in Şirnex also affected the kezwan (terebinth) trees, which are indispensable for coffee and soap production. Soldiers and guards in Cûdî, Gabar and Besta regions cut down the kezwan trees that grow in the summer months and are collected in the autumn every year for "security" reasons. This situation also negatively affects the citizens who make their living from kezwan trees.

 

Many citizens living in the Gundikê Melê town of Şirnex earn their living from coffee produced from the kezwan trees collected at the foothills of Cûdî Mountain. 40-year-old Hatice İnal, who collects kezwan from the foothills of Cûdî in the autumn months, makes a living by selling the coffee she makes during the winter months. İnal, who sells from a small business she opened on the ground floor of her house, says that there is great interest in kezwan coffee.

 

Hatice İnal

 

PREPARATION OF KEZWAN COFFEE

 

Stating that Kezwan coffee is difficult to make, İnal said: “Gundikê Melê coffee is famous in this region. We collect the coffee grounds we make from the Gabar, Besta and Cudî mountains. Kezwan is also healing for human health. We first wash the kezwans we collect in the autumn months and then dry them. Then we leave it to the sun. After it dries thoroughly in the sun, we cook it over a wood fire until it is roasted. After roasting for 10-15 minutes, we break it with stones. For this process to be complete, it is necessary to break the kezwans thoroughly. After the kezwans are completely dry, I put them in jars and sell them. I sell a jar for 190 liras. The coffee I make is both natural and requires a lot of effort from picking to making. My parents were doing it before me too. This is what we inherited from them."

 

AFFECTED BY TREE CUTTING

 

Referring to the benefits of Kezwan on human health, İnal stated that not only coffee but also many medicinal products are made from Kezwan and said: “Our business has slowed down a little due to the tree cutting in the region. Because the Kezwan trees were also being cut down and it became very difficult to find this tree. Kezwan is a source of healing for human health. Because it kills the disease. We not only make coffee with these kezwans, but also soap, oil and chewing gum."

 

TAKING ORDERS FROM EVERYWHERE

 

Noting that women must protect their labor, İnal said: “I have been doing this job for years. Orders come from many places from Istanbul to Europe. I have been the breadwinner since the day I started this job. That's why I always say this; Women can do anything they want. But women must first protect their own labor. Let them do whatever they can and let the economy of the house be in their hands. Women have that ability and power."

 

MA / Zeynep Durgut