Jokes and laughter can be heard from among the olive trees in a field on the coast of Arsuz, a village in the southern Turkish province of Hatay. Here, two dozen women are hard at work on the hilly land, with a view of the Mediterranean Sea on one side and the Amanos Mountains on the other.
Seven days a week, from early morning to midday, the workers comb through the trees one by one, gathering the olives and depositing them on plastic tarps spread on the ground.
Between 30 and 50 years old, the women have fun together and are ready to pose for pictures even after a tiring workday. “We became one family; we do our job with joy,” Ayşe Yalın said.
Behind the smiles are sweat and sore bodies. In late autumn, the temperature still reaches 30 degrees Celsius (over 80 degrees Fahrenheit). The women earn 800 Turkish liras per day (about US $23) for the tiring work. Some women need the money to make ends meet, and others use it to pay for their children’s education.
The olive harvest in Hatay is more than just a seasonal tradition – it’s a crucial part of the region’s economy and cultural identity. With some 13 million olive trees in the province, for many, it represents not only their livelihood but also the resilience of a community that was devastated by the earthquakes on February 6, 2023 – a community that is now finding strength in the land that has sustained them for generations.
Many of the local olive orchards are far enough from fault lines, so the majority of trees survived. Though most olive businesses are still reeling from the physical, psychological or financial damages of the quakes, the harvest provides work opportunities for many, and the production of fresh olive oil is crucial for the regional culinary culture.
Published by Turkey recap and Culinary Backstreets