borderland-isolation

This chapter provides an in-depth exploration of the Strandja mountain range, highlighting its geological history, unique biodiversity, and cultural significance as a borderland between Bulgaria and Turkey. It traces the ancient Thracian presence, their gold mining heritage, and the area's historical isolation, setting the stage for the author's personal encounter with the region. The chapter emphasizes the intertwining of natural history and human legacy in a landscape marked by both continuity and division.

The chapter recounts the history and personal stories surrounding Limanköy Feneri, a solitary lighthouse on Turkey’s Black Sea coast, highlighting its strategic importance, the legacy of its keepers, and the transformation from a family-run post to a mechanized naval installation. It focuses on the keeper’s family lineage, especially Selvet, who maintained the lighthouse alone during wartime, illustrating themes of resilience, identity, and the fading of a traditional way of life. The narrative contrasts the harsh, isolated life of the lighthouse keepers with the encroaching modernity and industrialization of the region.

The chapter portrays Mustafa and Feride, the last remaining shepherd family in the abandoned village of Darkness in Strandja, Turkey, highlighting their struggle to maintain a traditional pastoral lifestyle amid depopulation, military presence, and refugee crises. It explores themes of loss, resilience, and the tension between past and present as Mustafa dreams of reviving village life despite external pressures and isolation. The narrative also reflects on the historical and cultural significance of the region, the impact of borders, and the enduring connection to land and heritage.