Our host in Kars is Vedat Akçayöz, President of the Kars Culture and Art Association. For more than 5 years he has been collecting artifacts, photos, books and documents about the Spiritual Christians who once populated this remote part of Turkey. He hosts and greets anyone interested in this history, especially those with roots in Kars, like us.
His shop "Kutaya" is in the middle of a block clustered with many small hardware stores, like a long market bazaar. He and his wife, the main agent, reside in the upper floors of his building.
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| Vedat in his front office. See 3 burning of arms drawings in middle back. |
His "museum" is arranged wherever there is room in his shop that sells mostly direct to contractors (paint, tile, toilets, supplies, wall coverings, etc.), and the display changes depending on what project he is working on. Most of it is in the rear.
His shop "Kutaya" is in the middle of a block clustered with many small hardware stores, like a long market bazaar. He and his wife, the main agent, reside in the upper floors of his building.
There is no easy way to show the large scattered collection with a few photos. Here is a virtual tour of photos starting from the street, entering and showing close ups of nearly every item now on display. Photos taken July 1-4, 2015. Start slide show (in-progress).
Vedat told us he was inspired to protect old Russian sectarian ruins (cemeteries, houses, artifacts) during a trip to the USA, to Amish country in Pennsylvania. He was impressed how some Amish cater to the public and tourists. You pay for a tour, visit museums, hear lectures, eat food, buy cultural items, etc.
He petitioned the government to allow him to create a self-sufficient non-profit organization to preserved some historic sites by selling excursions, restoring houses were tourist could stay (instead of a hotel) and eat, to really experience the culture that has vanished. They approved the plan and we are benefiting from the progress that he has made so far, and helping him along.
He petitioned the government to allow him to create a self-sufficient non-profit organization to preserved some historic sites by selling excursions, restoring houses were tourist could stay (instead of a hotel) and eat, to really experience the culture that has vanished. They approved the plan and we are benefiting from the progress that he has made so far, and helping him along.
He lists 36 news releases on his website, 10 about Molokans. His current focus is Doukhobors which he did not know about 5 years ago, because only non-Doukhobor Spiritual Christian villages remained in Kars up to 1962 when most were relocated to the Northern Caucasus, USSR (Soviet Union). All the non-Doukhobors were conveniently called "Malakan," a short easy to pronounce term.
