Casting one’s mind back to those unknowable times, billions of years ago in the past of humanity, and then setting forth, bearing in mind the fact that all things remain part of the greater whole, it becomes apparent that certain artificial, secondary identities of our present day are meaningless. Throughout history, mankind has always felt the urge to search for clues to his own identity. On occasion, having been proved with historical documents, some of these searches have survived to date in the form of written information. Otherwise, it is through an oral tradition passed on from one generation to the next that contemporary man comes to know about the past.

It is these two sources that provide information about the past of the people of Kötüre today. Knowledge of those times that lie beyond recent history is obtained from the oral tradition passed on from the previous generation.

Though it is not certain when, it is known that they came from the Horasan region of northeast Iran, and that between 1600 and 1700, they stayed in Ovacık and Pertek in the region of Erzincan and Tunceli. One account holds that the natives named the two groups of people arriving in the region according to their dress; ‘çoğraş’ meaning ‘those who wear black clothes’; and ‘kumraş’, meaning ‘those with black head-gear’. They then came to be known by these names.

Of these, it is known that the Çoğraş arrived in Hekimhan of Malatya, and settled down in the village of Enzek towards the end of the 1700s. The Çoğraş, whose social and cultural patterns displayed characteristics of the Anatolian Turkmen tradition, in due time came to own vast stretches of land, and settled down here. No exception to the changes brought about by a community’s natural progression through time, the Çoğraş tribe also continued its existence with numerous secondary identities on a clan level. After some time, they came to be regarded with much respect in the region for the level of economic, social and cultural structure they had achieved. At the beginning of the 1800s they assumed social, political and spiritual leadership of the region they occupied, doing so with the sense of freedom of the leadership tradition of the Horasan school of thought, to which they belonged. There are tombs still in existence today belonging to members of the Çoğraş clan who lived during those times, which are visited on certain days by the people in the region. In 1998, one of these was partially repaired with the incentive of the Mayor of Enzek and the financial support of some people of Kötüre.

As a result of disputes and fights that took place both within the Çoğras clan itself and with other clans in the region, towards the end of the 1800s, some people from the clan left the region and went in search of new pastures where they could make a living and settle down. Leaving the area around Malatya behind them, these people arrived in the region of Afşin and Elbistan. Though for short periods they lived in some of the villages of Afşin, it was in the village of Gözpınar that they finally settled down. 

Situated very close to Gözpınar, at the beginning of the 1900s Kötüre was not exactly an area of settlement, though it was an untouched area where the land was completely owned by the landlords of Afşin. Geographically speaking, Kötüre lies where the eastern foothills of the Binboğa Mountains, the northeastern extension of the Eastern Toros Mountains whose peaks touch 3,000 metres, meet the plains of Afsin and Elbistan. The Mediterranean climate and the inland climate of inner Anatolia are dominant in the region. At the point where the foothills of the Binboğa range meet the plains and where Kötüre is located, a deep valley is formed, which is traversed by the river Kötüre. The valley opens to the plains through a pass. With its dense undergrowth and trees, during the times when human beings struggled to protect themselves from the natural world surrounding them, this was a bad river that they were afraid of, and reluctant to enter. This is why it is called a ‘kötü dere’ [literally, ‘bad river’], a place that in those times inspired fear and trepidation in people. It is said that with the passage of time, the name ‘kötü dere’ was transformed into ‘Kötüre’.

The Çoğras people who had settled in the village of Gözpınar remained in Gözpınar for a very short time, later arriving at Kötüre. In this place that belonged to landlords of Afşin, with the permission of the landlords, they lived in makeshift houses that they built in the pass, an area that was unsuitable for farming. Though they initially earned a living by farming and labouring for the landlords, this situation did not continue for long. These honest and hard-working people who had strong bonds binding them to each other used their earnings - even at the expense of cutting down on their basic needs- to purchase what at first were small pieces of land. Purchasing the narrowest part of the river, which the landlords could not farm, they built a water mill, and set up sheepfolds. And through the perseverance and hard work of these honest people, it wasn’t long before a wide stretch of land that contained about forty wells was passed by way of purchase into the ownership of the people of Kötüre. The appearance of the bad river (kötü dere) was also transformed in the hands of the people of Kötüre, who were endowed with an understanding of social cooperation. The water mill and sheepfolds decorated the pass of the river like a valuable necklace. The wild undergrowth in the areas that stretched out into the plains was cleared, and orchards bearing all sorts of fruits were cultivated. The banks of the valley were bedecked with the green of grape vineyards. Through the efforts of these good people, the bad river was transformed into a heavenly garden. The sound of the water mill was a song of never ending happiness; the sounds of the sheep and lambs bleating in the folds mingled with the birdsong in the orchards, forming the most beautiful symphony in the world; and a gentle, cool morning breeze carried well-being to the people of Kötüre.

Here is revealed their philosophy, rooted in the depths of history; and all the beauty of the oneness of nature, man and God; the beauty of the one and the whole. And during this period the people of Kötüre are united as one, in solidarity; they are exuberant, hardworking; they are settled; farming the land and cattle farming complement each other. The village commonly owns the most beautiful yurts of the Binboğa Mountains. In the summer, some of its people take their flocks up to their yurts that are situated among the peaks, set up their nomad tents, and live there for five or six months. As a natural result of this lifestyle, many of today’s people of Kötüre were born in those tents, it was on these plateaus that they first saw the world; their tiny lungs filled with the fresh air of these plateaus; their first cries at birth echoed among the Binboğa Mountains as though they were cries of love and peace. Some of its people tilled the land, and in fact jointly tilled the land of neighbouring villages as well. Come the winter, everyone returned to their village. During this period, winters in Kötüre would go by with an atmosphere of celebration. A variety of fun activities would be arranged during the day; there would be collective hunting expeditions for entertainment; time would be given for the care of the animals. At night, the people of Kötüre would gather in certain houses, transforming them into institutions that provided social education. The rules of social behaviour were taught in these rooms; the democratic way of life, which is the requirement of collective living would be demonstrated; the essences of rational philosophy would be explored; one would attain the ability and truth of the moral virtues of their philosophy; and perceive the meaning of being human. From its inception till the 1970s, the lifestyles of the people of Kötüre has been dominated -though they are essentially the same - both by the Horasan school of thought (the line of Ahmet Yesevi, Hacı Bektaşi Veli, Yunus Emre); and also the system of thought of the Bektaşi and Erdebil movements, which became institutionalised from the 1500s onwards. Behaviour within and their relationships with their immediate surroundings are regulated in accordance with the essences of this idea. The spirit of resistance to injustice; the sense of sharing; a forward-thinking disposition and social behaviour patterns seen in the lifestyle of the Anatolian Turkmens can also be seen in the people of Kötüre.

Just as in the Ottoman period, during the early years of the republic they supported the progressive sections. They took the side of Mustafa Kemal against the imperialistic forces and joined in the Kurtuluş Savaşı (Battle for Freedom). There are still people in Kötüre whose fathers left as soldiers and never returned. They continued to support the reform movement in the next stages of the Republic, and demonstrated this with their votes. After the 1968s as well, the people of Kötüre always remained on the same side as the patriotic, progressive democratic sections; from their young people that completed academic studies at the time, to their village folk.

The population of Kötüre increased due to an influx of people from the outside, as well as through natural growth in time; and though from 1955 onwards they began building small villages in their own vicinity and a steady migration towards to the cities began; it was in the year 1965 that they travelled abroad for the first time. Once again, the spirit of solidarity of the people of Kötüre manifested, and with the support they gave each other, many people were able to travel firstly to Germany, as well as various other European countries. Those who were in foreign lands did not lose touch with the people of the village or those people of Kötüre who had been dispersed across cities of Turkey; instead they used their earnings to make investments in their village and various towns and cities.

In the 1970s and 1980s Kötüre was seen once more to have a large population comprised of people at an economically advanced level. At the end of the 1980s, Kötüre once more burst forth and expanded beyond its boundaries; and from 1987 onwards, they arrived in England in groups that supported each other. During the 1990s, whilst the people of Kötüre were abroad in pursuit of new goals, Kötüre was experiencing its most sorrowful moments. During this period, a heavy silence and solitude descended upon Kötüre.
It is sad, it is unhappy, for it has been parted from its beautiful people. But this solitude does not continue for long, it is like the brief calm before a downpour, for though they are away from their home and hearth, both those people of Kötüre who are abroad and those who are dispersed in various cities of the country have carried the love of Kötüre with them wherever they went, and have never let go of that love of Kötüre within their hearts. The people of Kötüre who were dispersed in various European countries had not severed the links they had with their village or the bonds between each other; and the separation from the homeland of their fathers and grandfathers was brief. From the beginning of the 2000s onwards, these intelligent people who had grasped the fact that technological and social facilities had transformed the world into a small village; who had been able to achieve the demands of their times with regards to their social and cultural structure; and who had realised that a healthy way of life was to be found in natural surroundings rather than industrial areas, finally returned to the embrace of their village.

This meeting was such that it can only be described as the embrace of two lovers, filled with an outpouring of valuable gifts. Having gained economic independence, the people of Kötüre did not return to their village empty-handed: as far as their finances allowed, they had luxurious villas constructed in the village, making use of all the facilities that technology has to provide; thus enabling the continuation of the highest standards of living there. Simultaneously, with investments they made in Turkey and many parts of the world they integrated with the world economy. Thus Kötüre reached a point where it provided a formidable amount of support towards the region’s economy as well as job opportunities.

Striving forth from its roots embedded in the depths of history, with their open-minded philosophy that made for sensible development, today’s people of Kötüre have integrated themselves with contemporary and universal values. With its people who have completed studies in all fields of academia, with its philosophers who have proved their worth in their respective circles; with its singers; its businessmen; and with its philosophy that has open-mindedness and love at its core; the men and women of Kötüre have taken their rightful place in the mosaic of the planet they inhabit.

In 2003, these entrepreneurial, organisational people of solidarity established a charity in Kötüre for the purpose of providing social services. Once again a beautiful example of solidarity was displayed, as the efforts of a selection of selfless people enabled the people of Kötüre to come together in the context of this charity. The completion of the entire infrastructure of Kötüre, the construction of the multi-purpose centre for social and cultural services and environmental planning are among the goals this charity has set for itself, and with the continuing efforts in England and Germany to pursue them, Kötüre is preparing to assume its place in the modern world.