Medine Mamedoğlu

 

DİYARBAKIR - Going to collect medicinal herbs is a part of women's communal life. Women living in Silvan district of Diyarbakır province go to mountains to collect medicinal herbs with the arrival of spring.

 

Tens of herbs such as beets, fresh thyme and cardoon grow on mountain of Silvan district of Diyarbakır province with the arrival of spring. These herbs become the source of income for women who are most affected from the economic crisis.

 

Kader Ayhanlı, who stated they went to on mountain with the villagers to collect beets, said, “We do this every year. We collect beets in spring and grapes in orchards in summer. We collect not only beets but also fresh thyme, cardoon and other herbs growing on the mountains. There are tens of different herbs that are good for health and we also collect them. We cook some of them or we consume them as fresh.”

 

‘All women collect herbs together’

 

Pointing out that collecting herbs is a part of women’s communal life, Kader said, “All women in the village get together and go to collect herbs. The women living in other villages sometimes come to join us. We come together to take a breath and do our work. We also support each other.”