Story of women knitting their lives in their village
Women living in the village of Hamza Bek, North and East Syria’s Derik city, have a simple life, spending their days knitting their lives knot by knot.
ESMA MUHAMMED
Derik- Women living in the village of Hamza Bek, North and East Syria’s Derik city (al-Malikiyah), have a simple life. They work full time to knit their lives knot by knot.
The life of Halime Hacı Muhammed Salim tells us a story of transformation, her journey from the village of Kri Dera to the village of Hamza Bek. It is a story of rural life, where patience, diligence and improvement are at the forefront.
“I have lived in this village for more than 35 years and I feel like I belong to this village in every detail,” Halime Hacı Muhammed Salim told NuJINHA. “A village life is completely different from a city life. In the village, we wake up early. What wakes us up is not the noise of cars but the sound of cows and roosters. We start the day by baking bread and preparing breakfast by using organic products.”
‘We love this life’
Although Halime Hacı Muhammed Salim says she has a simple life, what she does during the day is full of many details.
“We wake up early and feed the chickens, ducks and geese. We look after our sheep and cows. We then return home to prepare breakfast, do housework and water the plants. This daily routine is not a burden for us. We love this life.”
‘Life was harder in the past’
Halime Hacı Muhammed Salim told us that life was harder in the past, “Because people used to walk hours to fetch water but today we have taps in our homes and a well. Everything is easier today. We had almost no means of transport; there was only a car in the village. Today, almost all families in the village have a car. They use their cars to drive their children to school or to the hospital.”
‘We have a simple and sincere life’
Halime Hacı Muhammed Salim thinks that villages should not be isolated from cities so that people have access to all services.
“Today, everything is faster and easier, making us feel safer. Although the city life offers you many developments, the village life offers you nature, clean air, trees, greenery and vegetables. In the village, we find true peace and have a simple and sincere life.”
