UNITING URBAN & VILLAGE LIFEBy Jessica Stockwell

VILLABIBERIYETURKEY

• Ikyasfaki | Turkey

In the Village of Ilyasfaki | Assos—A personal getaway to nature and village life.

VILLABIBERIYE

Assos, Turkey Uniting Urban and Village Life by Jessica Stockwell

Sustainable Living & a Village Lifestyle Sustaining life and living off the land in the village of Ilyasfaki,Turkey is joyous in the Springtime where the sun, soil and hardworking villagers come to life. So does the new resident to the community of two years, Shellie. She easily converses as one of the members of the community and in small ways contributes to a vision of a new sustainable future. Fatma’s son, Dogan, hopefully, will prosper in and reconnect with the new world order that is taking place. One where openness, healthy living, healthy eating and working all contribute to a growing economy, region and world.

On Fatma’s family property in the village. (Above) Shellie stops by to say hello to Fatma, her young son, Dogan and Fatma’s mother-in-law comes from under the tree to join the conversation.

Ilyasfaki (the village name proper) has a population of about 200 inhabitants. It is located close to Assos, an ancient and tour destination site of Turkey. It is a blend of modernity with the likes of electricity, wi-fi and safe running water, all possible with local and national development programs for sustainable living. The villagers own small pieces of land, enough for subsistence living, but not much more.

They continue herding, shepherding, planting and tilling the rich soil through rituals of farming passed on through generations. Reinventing a sustainable village lifestyle and educating the young are all challenges of this generation. Everyday life curtails much pre-occupation with the future as small groups of sheep are herded out into the fields at dawn and led back at dusk.

Discovering the village came by way of another expat who set up a new living arrangement in the village by renovating a vacant, partially standing stone property a few years earlier. Her daughter moved to Istanbul to work and she met Shellie—the then owner of a popular restaurant, Kahvedan, in Cihangir - Istanbul. Highly recommended as a great city getaway, Shellie went to visit.

Shellie walks through the village of Ilyasfaki and explains what her property looked like when she was introduced to the owner, a former sheep herder. Today she greets the villagers—in Turkish—and inquires about family, friends and life in general. Friendly conversations are refreshing in everyday life, here and everywhere. Smiles are abundant as well as animals; sheep, cows, roosters and baby lambs close to their mothers. “The property I looked at was a slanted hill with partial stone walls, and never lived in or completed. It was a storage space for hay.” says Shellie pointing to a window full of stones and hay, representative of how her property looked two years ago. Located at the edge of the village, she envisioned a calm place to take in the stunning view of hills, sea and the island of Lesbos. She decided to buy the deed to the house and build it into a home fitting of the community, a comfortable place as a big city getaway back to nature and an opportunity to experience village life and the rich agricultural abundance of Turkey.

A collaborative process—Undertaken with the input of a number of friends, designers, local ustas (tradesmen) and Shellie’s imagination and hard work, she has completed building a small, 2 bedroom stone house fitting and accepted by the local villagers. Connections to neighbors are physically by stone walls as well as new relationships and neighborly friendships.

Charm and connectivity—a connection to the world via wi-fi and the comforts of modern amenities and utilities shared in the community, like electricity and water, keeps a thread of connection between city and village life. Charm comes from the hearts, homes and smiles of the villagers. All generous to share what the land has to offer.

Ilyasfaki villagers have been here for generations. (Above) Original property owner and Shellie. I affectionately call it Villa Biberiye meaning Villa Rosemary—the fragrance of fresh rosemary, mint and other scents of nature are locked in my memory.

Mandira (dairy) producing local

cheese.

Rolling hills expand as far as the eye can see. A view of the sea and the island of Lesbos are calming to the soul. Morning and evenings are marked by ritual sounds of bells tinkering as family herds of sheep and cows make their way to the hills, the ravine below and return.

Villa Biberiye

Garden of

Nature Planning, plotting and hauling stuff

from around the local area—all in a days work.

Finding fixtures, wood for the doors, dirt removal,

replacement and landscaping in nature’s honor was what Shellie

learned along the way.

Nature—Using pictures she had in her mind, ideas she wished for, photos from magazines, sketches from designers and wisdom from the locals, a 2 bedroom village house with garden was born. From central control—a comfortable seat outside on the entrance terrace with full view of the country side and fresh air—Shellie monitors her business of renting flats in Istanbul with the ease of an iPad which easily packs away in her handbag. Garden shoes stand at attention at the door ready for duty when called upon for pruning and primping the garden now in full Spring bloom. This house on the outskirts of the village is now a natural stop for villagers coming and going—and animals as well.

Indigenous: olive trees, fig trees, grapevine, mulberry, white mulberry, wild plum trees. Planted: rosemary (biberiye), sage ( ada cayi) lavender (lavanta) varieties, mint (nane) and cypress trees

Outside Terrace covered veranda,

community drop in, view of garden,

hills, sea and

neighboring island Lesbos.

Covered Terrace—This is where the villagers gather, pass by, drop in, chat, drop off freshly made goodies to take back to the city. Gifts shared— of local salca and other products—with friends and neighbors in the city helps the community and connects village to city through the agricultural richness that supports and sustains them.

a garden of ROSEMARY | BIBERIYE

Shoes at attention: Villa Biberiye means Villa Rosemary—the garden is fresh with herbs, lettuce and mint. (below) blossoming fig tree that was with original property.

a kitchen to delight inSink of Marble—and other furnishings all have a story behind them. The double window length marble sink was a find in Cukurcuma-Antique Alley in Istanbul. The doors are from an antique dealer in Edremit, 1hr away. Curtains on the front door are hand made by Ilyasfaki villager and neighbor, Fatma.

deniz borulcesi—(below) an indigenous ‘green’ to the region, grown by the sea. Boil, pull off the stems, add olive oil, squeeze of lemon and serve it as a cold salad.

Textured interior custom furnishings, fireplace and bedroom doors with a story.

Ilyasfaki | a village in Assos TURKEY

UNITING URBAN & VILLAGE LIFEBy Jessica Stockwell

VILLABIBERIYETURKEY