Some 210 houses will be built in the Central Anatolian province Konya’s Çavuş village. So far seven of them have been completed and are now housing residents. DHA photo
A purpose-built “village” in Konya will host more than 200 national and international artists at an international festival starting this Saturday that will draw more attention to one of Turkey’s most unique art projects.
“There is not a similar village that exists anywhere in Europe. This is a great return to our cultural roots in Anatolia,” said architect Mehmet Taşdiken, who is the founder of the “Endless Blessing Village” (Sonsuz Şükran Köyü
, which is located in the Central Anatolian province’s Çavuş village.
Anatolian culture
Sociologist Nilüfer Narlı, who will attend the festival, said the aim of the project was to make old Anatolian culture come to life once more.
“Here, we will learn the richness of Anatolian culture again. We will go back to the cosmopolitan culture which has fed us for hundreds of years,” Narlı said.
“We built up the village according to the architecture of the Selçuks, who lived here more than a thousand years ago; our aim is to sustain the local values of this region,” Taşdiken said about the village, which includes residents from artistic, academic, journalistic and intellectual backgrounds.
Taşdiken also said the village, which includes 210 houses as well as a cultural center, was built using only adobe bricks from the area.
“This is a rebellion at the psychological and social pressures against local cultures in the world; these pressures have been continuing on throughout the world for nearly 200 years. Local accents, local dresses, local buildings and local lives are considered second class in today’s world, which has turned everything into fabrication,” Taşdiken said.
Artists and designers will live in the village and will create new works thanks to Sonsuz Şükran Köyü’s inspiration, Taşdiken said. “Besides local workshops, there will be national and international arts and culture activities.”
President Abdullah Gül has also supported the foundation of the village, sending a special letter saying, “I hope this village can be a model for the other towns and villages in Turkey.”
