The Legend of Sarıkız

While Sarıkız was living with her family in a village of Ayvacık in Çanakkale, her mother passed away at a young age. Later, they came to Kavurmacılar village near Güre village at the foot of Kaz Mountains and settled down. Here they earn their living as shepherds. They are very popular in the village. The old and young people of the village consult Sarıkız’s father for advice. The villagers think that he is a saint. Years pass, Sarıkız grows up and becomes a beautiful girl. His father is also getting old. He always has the idea of going on a pilgrimage in his mind. She constantly begs Allah in her prayers in order to be able to go on pilgrimage.

Sarıkız encourages him to fulfill his father’s wish. She tells her father that she’s grown up now, that she can take care of herself, that she should go on pilgrimage before she gets older. The father entrusts his daughter to his neighbor and goes on pilgrimage. At that time, going on pilgrimage was not like it is now, maybe six months, maybe more, on foot. After his father went on pilgrimage, the young men of the village aspire to Sarıkız. Sarıkız does not give a face to any of them. They also slander Sarıkız by spreading gossip.

When the father returns from the pilgrimage, no one looks at his face, they do not greet him. When he asks the reason why Sarıkız is handed over to his neighbor, he says that Sarıkız is on the wrong path. Dad thinks for days. He cannot do the good of hajj, which is customary. In order to live in the village, he has to clean his honor. But he cannot bear to kill his beloved daughter. With a few geese he took with him, he takes his daughter to the summit of Kazdağı and leaves her there. He thinks there will be food for wild animals.

Years pass. They say that when the passengers coming from Bayramiç lost their way on the mountain, when they were in trouble, a yellow girl guided and helped them. They say that they have geese, and that they even descended to the Bayramiç plain one day and damaged the crops of the farmers. The wall remains of this area, which is called the goose courtyard, can be seen even today.

Listening to these stories, the father thinks it might be Sarıkız. He makes his way to the mountain, and when he reaches the top, he encounters a walled field of geese. He finds his daughter in a place called Sarıkız Tepe today. Sarıkız is happy to see her father. He respects and respects her. His father wants to make wudu to pray. Sarıkız pours water on her father’s hand for him to perform ablution. His father says the water is salty. Sarıkız hastily says that she took it from the sea by mistake and extends her jug towards the valleys. He pours the newly filled water into his father’s hand. When her father tastes the ice-cold water, he realizes that his daughter has melted.

At that time, a black cloud covers the sky, Sarıkız disappears. Her father is convinced that her daughter has died, and that she has disappeared due to the revelation of her secret. He realizes that his daughter has been slandered and curses the villagers. There is no one living in Kavurmacılar village today, the headman handed over the seal of the village to the District Governor as there was no living person left and the name of the village was deleted from the log.

While Sarıkız’s father was wandering in the hills with sadness, he died in a place called Baba Tepe today. Local people make graves for Sarıkız and her father by putting the flat stones of the mountain on top of each other. The hill where Sarıkız’s grave is located is called Sarıkız hill, and the hill where her father is located Baba Tepe. Local people go here every year in August to commemorate Sarıkız and her father.