Haci Tugrul village at 1100m. with surrounding fields in the valley , about 30km northeast of Yassihoyuk.
Within our landuse survey area of 574 square km, to the east and west of Sakarya river, the landscape varies vastly. On the eastern plateau, upfaulted blocks of marl and basalt make hollowed pockets over the plain. Here, every small plot of flat land, even between the ridges is cultivated, using dry farming methods. There is uniform farm expansion because the terrain is less broken with plains, expansion leading into gentle slopes/rolling hills --the sheepfolds which are encroached upon by farmland cease to function, and those higher up in the hills (c.1,400 m.) continue to function. There are small streams (dere) and springs (pinar) that are easily available in the hills, so the result is more of an even separation between areas used for grazing and those used for farming. A case in point is near the village of Haci Tugrul (see picture), about 24 km. east and north of Yassihoyuk village, where landuse is clearly delineated between grazing and farming: highland, mountain top and high plateau (1200 m), c. 4 km south of village proper and c. 4 km N from village; village environs (900 m), abutting agricultural zones; and marshland (500 m to 2 km), no agriculture, lots of reeds, salt marshes where the sheep love to pick out the young reed shoots which are juicy and salty, because it makes them drink lots of water which is good for their health.
Fields near Yassihoyuk at 800m. - sunflowers, wheat, and fallow; pre 1960's it was all pasture. To the west, on the other hand, the landscape has a "lunar" appearance: the conglomerate bedrock has maintained a consistent elevation at 750m but it has been cracked and eroded, exposing the underlying soft marls to extensive erosion and redeposition. Here, farmland is much more uneven because of the broken nature of the terrain in contrast to the eastern region. In this region areas of farming farmland is non-contiguous; it is expanding into flat plots between ridges, slopes of tumuli, near hoyuks or deep gorges, encroaching the streams in the area. The quality of soil is poor, functional springs are more sparse. In both regions, east and west of Sakarya river, slopes of mountains are used primarily for grazing. But as farmland encroaches, and weaves its way into the landscape, especially near a viable source of water, sheepfoldsfolds and grazing land largely disappear.
Sheepfolds, in general, seem to face in the southerly direction, on the NE slope of a mountain, thus sheltered from northernly winds. We recorded sheepfolds as old as 100 years old, some are still functioning. The "Cave" sheepfold (seen in picture), faces directly west; that is because it is in a very steep-sided valley, essentially the valley runs in east-west direction, andAt 960m below "Keci Kale", west of Sakarya, near Gencali village. the sheepfold is protected on all sides, including the north. Recently built sheepfolds tend to remain on the same spot as the original fold, especially, if there is still a viable source of water nearby.The folds are generally located on the slopes of a low ridge, and very close to one another, about 200-300 m. apart. Over a peak, one can see them, separated by a tall ridge. Some are nestled against a high ridge, others sitting on a high plain. Usually there is a physical barrier between folds to keep and guide each flock of sheep and goats in a different grazing area--so that there would be no conflict of interest, and overgrazing would be prevented. In the past 50 years, many of the sheepfolds have shut down due to reasons other than farm expansion: lack of easily accesible water source, cost of feed, cost of shepherds' labor etc. Prior to the expansion of farmland, up to 1960's, plains, slopes of mountains and upland plains at elevations over 850-900m., even between narrow mountain ridges were exclusively given to grazing. Farming was done largely near rivers and permanent springs, and in upland areas only on small rainfed plots.
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