GESTEMERDE (Çobandağı)

Gestemerde is located on the south slope of Hazir Baba Mountain at the altitude of 1860 metres from the sea level. Hazir Baba Mountain with the height of 2430 metres and with oak trees, colourful plants and flowers, cold water springs, its ... soil has been the shelter of Gestemerde and its inhabitants.

Gestemerde is in the District of Gimgim (Varto) and is located just 7 kilometres off the town of Gimgim (Varto) on the northwest. Gestemerde is surrounded in the north and east by the Hazir Baba Mountain chain, in the west it is bordered by Keca (Seki) and Qeracer village, in the south by Xelefa (Agacalti) and Mezra Ale Cibi village, in the southeast by Kovik (Oglakci) village. The climate is characterised by long cold snowy winters and arid hot summers. It has, however, four seasons. The land is not verimli because of being mountainous. The economy is dependent on livestock.

Gestemerde had two big earthquakes in 1946 and in 1966 for being on the North Anatolian fault line. The primary school was opened in 1947. Literacy level is at 90 per cent. Many of the descendents of the villagers have become professionals. The population is Alewait Kurdish and speak Zaza language.

The origin of the name Gestemerde is not know but the name of Cobandagi is legacy of Turkish governments policy of replacing Kurdish names with Turkish names. Gestemerde is combination of the words geste and merd. Geste means travellers or alms; merd means generous. The words also mean hunger and death respectively. It  could mean being generous with their alms or starved to death.

The first inhabitants of Gestemerde were Han Avdelan. Han Avdel was a prominent member of Avdelan tribe. They moved into the area towards the end 16th century from Dersim to Gimgim (Varto). Many generations of Avdelans lived and died in Gestemerde. There are graves of them.

Gestemerde later became the residence of Cemikan or Cemans. Cemikan is a clan of Lolan tribe. Lolans moved to Gimgim from north Dersim at the beginning of 17th century. Many generations of Cemikans lived and died here and left graves too. According to our elders the big white grave in the village belongs to one of the prominent members of Cemikans.

The prominent members of Keca (Seki) village stayed in Gestemerde seasonally and took permanent residence in the village after 1840’s. Ali Aga and his family with his nephews Kerim, Qasim and Ibrahim took residence in the village. Later families from the clans of Qeceran, Xidan, Wuseniyan and Mirskan of Lolan tribe moved to the village.

The first political execution of a member of Gestemerde was in 1925. Kali Axa was executed for supporting Kurdish National Movement. The well known members of Lolan tribe Kali Axa and Huseyin Axa were executed with many others in Elazig in 1925. The first political exile was instigated during this time as a result of government policy of “Establishing Order and Reforming East Plan”. M. Ali Kocadag (Memedeliye Kali Axayi) and his wife Gewre, Veli Kocadag (Weliye Selim Axayi) and his wife Emina, Siddik Kocadag and his wife Gule were exiled. Many people from Gestemerde moved to Turkish urban areas in 1960’s and to European countries after 1964. There was a increase in this population movement as a result of the earthquake in 1966 and of government terror and intimidation following the military coup in 1980 and the population decreased from 250-300 to 40-50.

The inhabitant’s of Gestmerde who moved away had to form ghettos wherever they went. They live in Istanbul, Izmir, Yalova, Ankara, Aydin in Turkey and in Berlin, Russelheim, Mainz, Cologne, Nurnberg and London in Europe.

(tirkî ra çarnayox: H. Fırat)