In the area that Evliya Çelebi praised, salt has been produced from water teams for 3,000 years

The production of “Kemah salt”, which has been obtained with 3,000 years of traditions and praised by Evliya Çelebi, has increased due to the air temperature being above seasonal norms in the facilities located in the Kemah district of Erzincan.

The salt, which workers produce by literally “growing salt by watering it”, is offered for sale not only in nearby provinces but also in Istanbul, Bursa, Ankara, Izmir, and abroad.

As the air temperature rises, the production of salt increases, which is important not only for its flavor but also for extending the shelf life of food.

Kemah salt is preferred by many sectors, especially cheese producers like Erzincan tulum cheese makers, seasonal herders, and picklers.

Business owner Metin Tanrıkulu stated that they continue to produce salt in Kemah with 3,000 years of traditions.

“The salt production area that Evliya Çelebi praised”

Tanrıkulu noted that due to its natural characteristics, Kemah salt is preferred by many sectors, especially Erzincan tulum cheese producers, and continued:

“This place has been used for salt for 3,000 years. It has been used for salt starting from the Urartians, through the Roman, Byzantine, Seljuk, and Ottoman periods. During the Republic period, it was operated by the state. It is known that the salt of the Ottoman palace was sent from here. Evliya Çelebi gives a broad account in his Travelogue about the salt here and speaks of it with praise. The source salt emerges as a salty water spring due to the erosion of salt rock layers inside the mountain by rain and snow waters. Kemah salt is essential for Erzincan tulum cheese. This salt is used from livestock farmers to picklers. Now, when citizens from surrounding provinces think of salt, they only think of Kemah salt.”

Tanrıkulu pointed out that the salt is healthy as it does not contain any chemicals or heavy metals, and continued:

“We produce between 1,000 and 2,000 tons a year. We continue to produce this salt using the same system as the Urartians, Romans, and Ottomans did 3,000 years ago, but we modernize it while preserving traditional methods. There is a significant demand for Kemah salt not only from Turkey but also from those trading in natural salt from Germany and Italy.”

Veli Toprak, who works at the facility, also drew attention to the difficulties of working in salt pools in hot weather.

Toprak mentioned that workers work under 40-degree heat in the pools, saying, “The weather is quite hot, and we struggle while working. We take salt from the lakes and then extract it using only our arm strength without machines. It’s tough, but this is our livelihood. We try to protect ourselves from the sun with hats.”