The villagers here live off the land, with their main economy being the production of pine nuts,<\/span> wine, jam and raisins<\/span>. <\/span>The mountain air, organic food and spring water mean a long and healthy life for the locals is not uncommon.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Demircidere is regarded as one of Turkey’s most progressive communities, particularly in regards to gender balance. It was here that the first female <\/span>muhtar<\/span><\/i> (town leader) was elected in 1933. Today, men and women work side by side in the fields, and have equal authority and voice in the home and community. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe are free. We feel free. We want to go to the town, we go. We want to go to somewhere else, we go. We of course inform each other before going. We respect each other’s rights.\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Women are treated as equals, which is demonstrated not just by the women of the village, but by the men also.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe are free to do what we want to do. To love each other, to respect each other, even if you do not agree, you should respect. Wherever you are or where ever you go, this is extremely important because we are all human beings. You or me or the guests visiting. There are no differences between any of us.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n It is the openness of Demircidere that makes it such a special place for travellers to connect with the locals. Trafalgar launched its first Turkey <\/span>Be My Guest<\/span><\/i> experience in this notable village of Demircidere, where some of the local women opened up their homes to guests and invited them in for a meal and to share insights about their lives.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe do not call the people who come as tourists, we call them as guests, foreign guests. Because they are indeed our guests, whether a Turk or a foreigner, whether a Muslim or a Christian or Jew, they are our guests and that is it.\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Today, many of the local women of Demircidere open up their homes to Trafalgar guests, sharing a meal and exchanging stories.<\/span><\/p>\n The majority of people in the village do not speak any English, so rely on the Travel Director to translate. But even with the language barrier, the women of the village feel a lot of pride and happiness in welcoming strangers into their homes as friends.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThey do not understand me and I do not understand them but the guide translates everything. I started learning some English. Sometimes, the guest comes and if there is someone with me they ask me who she is. I tell them \u201csister\u201d. Very simple but they understand and this makes me very happy.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n It is through these simple exchanges, within the local homes, that guests can learn about the community, get an inside look at daily life and witness the special relationships between the members of the village.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThey ask about our daily lives. They ask what we do in one day. They ask about our kids, what they do and etc. and we show the pictures of our family members, hanging on the wall and we tell them what each of them does. In addition to my kids I have two grandchildren, whom I talk about,\u201d says Aunt G\u00fcls\u00fcm, one of the original hosts.<\/span><\/p>\n Another thing that makes the village unique are the beautiful traditional costumes that the women wear. The dresses have a kaleidoscope of colourful sequins, as the women believe that shiny things deflect negative energy. \u201cNo one else has such colourful costumes. The dress I am wearing is called \u00fc\u00e7 etek<\/i> (three skirts). The one on top is called \u00f6nl\u00fck<\/i> (overall), then the second layer is called g\u00f6ynek<\/i> (blouse) and lastly \u015falvar<\/i>, a loose pair of pants, and of course my scarf to keep my hair clean and to prevent [it] from falling,\u201d says Aunt G\u00fcls\u00fcm.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Aside from providing a welcomed income to the organic farming village, the locals of Demircidere are very conscious about the additional social benefits of tourism to the area. <\/span><\/p>\n With many of the locals previously unable to speak English, the frequent arrival of tourists has encouraged the community to learn the language. Children and young people are more likely to learn English at school, but for the <\/span>Be My Guest<\/span><\/i> hosts, this was an incentive to do it for themselves.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe feeling to be able to communicate is great and I wish I learned it when much younger. Of course, talking with our guests is a great practice, because if you do not use your second language you forget it very fast. So, the first change it made in my life was to force me to learn English.\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n In response to the experience, <\/span>the local muhtar<\/em> also started an English course to help the hosts. <\/span><\/p>\n There is a sense of pride and satisfaction in hosting the guests in their own homes. The women talk about how they enjoy meeting new people and getting the opportunity to forge connections with people from around the world, particularly in spreading the word about Demircidere and their culture.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThey sometimes send cards and thank us for being warm and friendly. They sometimes send pictures they take too,\u201d says Medine Abla.<\/span><\/p>\n One of the newer hosts explains how, following her mother’s footsteps, she particularly enjoys the connections that she makes with the guests to her home.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe do not have to look for opportunities in making new friends. The opportunity was at our door and with many people who visited us we later became friends… Both my parents and I got to learn new cultures and I am very happy about this.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The community of Demircidere is particularly unique in the way that they treat each other, as well as the foreign visitors.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWe are a hospitable bunch of people in this village. We have a very rich culture, which we like to show\/share with others,\u201d – Aunt G\u00fcls\u00fcm<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n <\/p>\n The <\/span>Be My Guest<\/span><\/i> hosts have had a profound impact on the community and the surrounding villages. Initially when the <\/span>Be My Guest<\/span><\/i> experiences began, there was hesitation around what that meant to invite large parties of tourists into local homes. Aunt G\u00fcls\u00fcm explains how she had to explain to her mother-in-law the benefits and reasons for inviting foreign guests into her home.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWhen my mother-in-law was still alive, she did not like it at all and it became an issue between us. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span>I was so disappointed. But [in time] I convinced her and then \u00a0guests started coming to my house.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n The enthusiastic <\/span>Be My Guest <\/span><\/i>hosts of Demircidere make sure that they share their experiences with other Turkish communities in the area, helping to change the perceptions of what guided tourism can mean for locals. At first met with scepticism, one of the hosts explains how she teaches her friends about the benefits of inviting tourists into their homes, and spreading the word of eco-tourism and sustainability. <\/span><\/p>\nWhat is the cultural significance of Demircidere for women?<\/h3>\n
![\"Demircidere](\"https:\/\/www.trafalgar.com\/real-word\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/2019\/03\/Demircidere-Turkey-women-group.jpg\")
<\/p>\nConnecting tourists to local people and cultures through Be My Guest<\/i><\/h3>\n
\n<\/span><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.trafalgar.com\/real-word\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/2019\/03\/Demircidere-women-turkey.png\")
<\/p>\nThe importance of receiving visitors to Demircidere village<\/h3>\n
What is the impact of the women on the surrounding communities?<\/h3>\n