Yayla (resort)


Yayla is a Turkic name given to settlements or areas which are suitable for summer mountain resorts and summer highland transhumance. The term is also cognate with the related Turkic term yaylak. Since in Oghuz languages the last -k or -ı sounds generally drop as in examples such as yazı, dizi, dolu, ölü, with the last letter dropped as yayla, it is only in use in Turkish and other closely related languages such as Crimean Tatar, Gagauz, Balkan Turkish and Azerbaijani.

Etymology

Since the antiquity, Turks used to call their transhumance locations by different names depending on the season. Yazlak, yaylak, güzlek and kışlak referred to transhumance and pasture locations of different seasons of the year. But out of the four, yayla and kışla are more widespread. Kışla refers to relatively warmer places in the plains and yayla refers to mountain slopes where the pasturing is easier during the summer.

Traditional yayla as resort

While it is also considered as attractive summer resorts for people of both rural and urban areas, yayla is mainly a part of the economy of farmers and ranchers who are generally dwellers of rural settlements. In summers, Mediterranean coasts and the regions affected by are hotter than other areas of Turkey, thus people of Mediterranean and Aegean geographical regions generally seek cooler yaylaks traditionally, instead of Western-promoted beach culture. However, new generations who born and raised in the Western-promoted lifestyle of urban culture generally prefer beach tourism over yayla culture. Because of deteriorating economical situation in rural areas because of rapidly developing industrialization and growing global effect of capitalism, majority of the population of rural areas had to migrate to the urban areas, also town dwellers had to migrate to bigger towns and cities. Estimates show that in 1930s, rural population made up the 75% of Turkish population whereas contemporary official estimates show that the situation now is the exact opposite, the urban population makes up the 75% of Turkish population. Hence, these rural or tribal-originated families who now dwell in the cities, annually migrate back to their villages or yaylas in summers or even springs.
Yaylas, like all other transhumance locations, are generally temporary settlements. However it is known that Turks historically transformed their yayla lands into their permanent homeland, so that makes the temporary status of yaylaks and other seasonal locations controversial since in Alpine and Turkic transhumance culture every season has different permanent houses.

Contemporary yayla culture

In the second half of the 20th century, the yayla practice has not been popular as it once was. Some people have chosen beach tourism, perhaps persuaded by televised advertisements of contemporary technology, which arguably softens hotter summers. However, the Turkish people of tribal background, who make up a significant portion of the Turkish population, are more prone to preserve the traditional Turkic lifestyle and still spend their summer in the sparsely populated cooler highlands or yaylas, instead of hot beaches. Because of its continuing and still growing summer fame as attractive settlements among both rural and urban populations and also among generations born and raised in the urban culture, the yaylas became bigger and urbanized over years, creating a new urban identity for some of popular yaylas converting from their previous rural identities.