Akdağ: a horse's paradise

by Recep Peker Tanıtkan

Three hundred kilometres southwest of Ankara, the mountains and forests of Afyon conceal an equine dream come true.

A carpet of spring flowers, a curtain of pine trees, the scent of thyme... Cradled in the lap of Mount Akdağ, 1,550 metres above sea level, the Kocayayla national park in the Sandıklı district of Afyon is a heaven on earth in good weather. Nearby, the Akdağ Canyon dissects the mountainside, an unspoilt gift of nature, tempting the most cautious of souls to explore, to climb, to trek, to jump or to swim.

Suddenly a sound both familiar and strange: a thunder of hooves; a wind of manes and tails. It is Akdağ's wild horses. White, black, piebald and bay, all are descendants of yılkı horses, released by their owners when they became too old to work. Born free, they live every bit as wild as the boar and the deer which share the same natural pastures. One moment they roam loyal, noble and docile behind their leaders; the next they erupt into bitter, snorting conflict with one of a hundred rival herds.

All who make the trip to Kocayayla may glimpse these highland mares and stallions as they graze, wonder at their survival and reflect on the improvisations of time and fortune. But to approach is unwise and the animals move on swiftly. The photographer must trust to the quickness of his or her eye and the calibre of his or her telescopic lens. Then back to Afyonkarahisar, the spa town, to view the results - and to make quite sure it was not just some midsummer mirage.

(DIPLOMAT  -  April 2005  -  Ankara)