In 2025, Wiki Loves Folklore was held for the first time in Türkiye. The photos uploaded from the country inspired me to learn many new things and use that knowledge to contribute Wikimedia projects. I’d love to share some of what I’ve discovered with you.
Sheep Jumping and Shepherd
The photo below is from the Sheep Jumping and Shepherd Festival which is believed to be an 800-year-old tradition in Aşağıseyit, a village in the Çal district of Denizli, located in western Anatolia. On the second day of the festival, 40-50 shepherds compete to cross the Büyük Menderes River with their flocks. The judges award prizes according to how quickly the lead sheep jump into the water following the shepherd. I first learned about this unique tradition when I came across this photo on the Wiki Loves Folklore page. Intrigued, I researched the festival and wrote an article about it.
I discovered that, throughout the year, the shepherds prepare for this event by dedicating their time to their sheep, even sleeping in the same barn with them in order to build strong bonds with the animals. On the day of the competition, they dye their sheep in vibrant shades of pink, purple, and orange, transforming the river into a colorful spectacle as the animals make their way across. Held annually in the last week of August, the festival is not just a lively celebration but also serves as a way to prepare the sheep for shearing in September.
Master Locksmith of Safranbolu houses
A suprising discovery I made through Wiki Loves Folklore was the photo of Hüseyin Şahin Özdemir, a Turkish locksmith from the Safranbolu district in Karabük, northern Türkiye. Mr. Özdemir is the craftsman who creates iron parts for the doors and windows of historical buildings across the country. In 2024, he was officially recognized as a Living Human Treasure of Türkiye.
As a Wikipedian, my goal this year is to create Wikipedia articles and Wikidata entries for everyone (97 persons) on the National Living Human Treasure Inventory, and then reach out to the Turkish National Commission for UNESCO asking for help in obtaining their photos. I was delighted to see that one of the images I had been searching for was made available thanks to Wiki Loves Folklore.
A Milking technique: Koşana koşma
Another photo uploaded during Wiki Loves Folklore provided valuable insight into village life and traditional milking techniques. Unlike the images of sheep jumping into the water after their shepherds, this one showed two women milking sheep using a unique method called “koşana koşma”. This technique, practiced in the Konya region of Central Anatolia, involves tying 50-60 sheep in pairs using special knots that can be easily loosened, arranging them face-to-face in a line.
Seeing this photo brought back childhood memories of when I wanted to milk sheep like Heidi did. It also motivated me to improve the Turkish Wikipedia article on milking by incorporating the new knowledge I had gained.
Old couple
Finally, I would like to share a touching photo from Hatay Province in Türkiye. It captures an elderly couple in their village home—an old man feeding his bedridden wife while their grandchildren play on the sofa nearby. I used this image in the Gerontology article on Turkish Wikipedia.
I believe that using photos of local people, whom readers are more likely to relate to, makes the content more engaging and easier to understand. That’s why I find this image much more suitable for Turkish Wikipedia, than simply taking the same image used at English Wikipedia, such as a photo depicts older adults playing cards in Amsterdam in 1970.
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