Zeynep Akıl, who preserved the stone mill inherited from her grandmother, spends the winter with the bulgur she mills in summer at the mill. She now teaches her grandchildren how to mill the wheat at the mill.

MEDİNE MAMEDOĞLU

Şirnex – 60-year-old Zeynep Akıl living in the Avgamasya (Toptepe) village of Şırnak province, produces bulgur with the stone mill inherited from her grandmother. The stone mill used by people in ancient times has two round stones with a hole in the center. Women put wheat in this hole to grain bulgur. Women grind salt and sugar at the mill. Despite being forcibly displaced for years, Zeynep takes the stone mill inherited from her grandmother everywhere she goes and grinds wheat in summer at the mill. She both sings songs and grinds wheat.

“I teach my grandchildren”

Zeynep first dries the harvested and washed wheats under the sun and then grinds them at the stone mill to produce bulgur. Zeynep ground wheat with her mother when she was very young. “ın the past, women used to come together to grind wheat. I learned how to grind from my grandmother and mother. Now, only two or three people grind wheat in the village. All people buy bulgur and flour from markets now. Everyone lives in comfort now. I harvest wheat every summer and grind them. My grandchildren watch me while grinding wheat. I teach them how to grind wheat like my mother taught me.”

“Dozens of women ground wheats in the past”

Zeynep always sings songs when she grinds wheat. “We used to grind wheat together in the past. All women used to come together. We used to do our job while singing songs together. Now, everyone sits in their houses without doing anything. I first put the wheat in the hole. After grinding them, I wash the bulgur. In the past, we used to grind lentils. Now, I also grind salt and sugar. I always sing songs when grinding something,” said Zeynep, who wants to continue the tradition inherited from her mother and grandmother.