Once upon a time, there was a beautiful girl with shiny blonde hair that ran down her shoulders and sweet hazel eyes which sparkled at night. She was as beautiful as she was honest, faithful, and kind-hearted. Her name was Sarıkız and she lived in the village of Kavurmacılar with her father Cılbak Baba.
Whoever saw Sarıkız, would fall head over heels in love with her instantly. They would first ask, then beg her to marry them, but Sarıkız would turn all offers down and refuse to get married.
One day, her father decided to go on a pilgrimage. Back then the only transport was by animal and it would take him about three years to get back. Before leaving, Cılbak Baba sat his daughter in front of her and gave her advice. “My daughter,” he said, “I will be away from you for a long time. During my absence, promise to live a life that no one can blame you for.” Sarıkız nodded and promised her father. And just like that, Cılbak Baba left for his three-year pilgrimage.
During the father’s absence, many eligible young men tried and failed to win the affection of Sarıkız. This prompted many of them to start false rumors of her lifestyle. Upon Cılbak Baba’s return, the villagers surrounded him in the village square and told him that Sarıkız had become a prostitute. They asked him to kill Sarıkız to restore the family honor or to leave the village forever. The father contemplated for days and nights. He knew he had to kill his own daughter to be able to continue living in Kavurmacılar village and if he did not kill her himself, the villagers would do it themselves anyway. But as a father, he did not have the heart to take his own daughter’s life, so he found a way out.
He took his beloved daughter and a few geese, and set out to climb on the Kaz Dağı (literally the Goose Mountain) to leave her to the arms of fate. He imagined his daughter would perish in peace upon the summit of Kaz Dağı.
Sarıkız understood her father’s plans as with just a look she could read his heart. Near the end of their journey, she stopped and turned to her father, wishing him a safe journey back to the village. She took the geese and continued to walk up the mountain, towards the summit where she disappeared from sight.
Years passed by and yet Cılbak Baba would still cry day and night for his beloved daughter. “Vay kızım, sarı kızım” he would mourn, “Oh my daughter, my blonde daughter.”
One day, villagers came to visit Cılbak Baba. They told him that merchants and passengers of Edremit claim to have seen a blonde girl who would lead them and show them the way when they got lost up on the mountain. They said she had geese with her. One day the geese went down the farms and damaged the crops. Upon a villager’s request, Sarıkız piled pebblestones inside her skirt and threw them towards the farms where her geese kept descending. The pebblestones formed a hill.
The father knew this must be his beloved daughter. He set out on a journey to find her. The villagers asked “Have you gone mad? What about the snow, the slippery rocks, and the hills?”
Yet the father was burning inside with the fire of guilt. He went the way in the blink of an eye. Then he saw a beam of light, that carried all his fatigue away. The snow, the hills and the slippery rocks disappeared. There she was, Sarıkız.
She ran to the arms of her father, with no complaints. “Come father, I made you some warm soup, I prepared a bed you can sleep on.” She said joyfully. They spent the night chatting and laughing.
In the morning, the father asked for some water to wash with and pray to God in thanks for finding his daughter alive. Upon his request, Sarıkız quickly brought a jug full of salty ocean water. Cılbak Baba said, “The water is too salty to wash with.” Sarıkız apologized and rotated the jug towards the valleys and the jug filled up with sweet source water of the Kaz Dağı in the blink of an eye.
Cılbak Baba, then, realized that his daughter was blessed. He told Sarıkız that he was sorry for believing the lies of villagers. Just then, a black cloud covered the entire sky. And in the blink of an eye, Sarıkız disappeared, as her father had finally realized that she was blessed and unlocked her secret. He cursed the villagers for defaming his innocent daughter and separating the father and daughter.
Today, nothing remains of Kavurmacılar village and the village chief (muhtar) returned the village stamp back to the district governorate, officially erasing it from the registry.
Cılbak Baba roamed the mountains till he died upon one of the hills, which is now known as Baba Tepe (literally ‘Father Hill’). Villagers made tombs for the father and daughter by stacking stones upon each other. The hill where Sarıkız’s tomb is located is called Sarıkız Tepe (‘Sarıkız Hill’). Locals visit these two hills every August to commemorate the tragedy of Cılbak Baba and his blessed daughter Sarıkız.
This article was originally published on January 21, 2019, by Selcen Ciftlikci.
