Boğatepe Village is the place where the famous cheeses of Kars were first made. The village, which is about 50 kilometers from the city center of Kars, is actually a plateau with an altitude of over 2300 meters! Where is Boğatepe Village, which is famous for its cheddar and gruyere cheese produced from special breed cows, where thousands of plants grow, how to get there, Breakfast at Boğatepe Village Cheese Museum, Boğatepe and much more in this article, happy reading!

Where is Boğatepe Village? - Boğatepe Pass
Where is Boğatepe Village? – Boğatepe Pass

Where is Kars Boğatepe Village?

Boğatepe Village, 50 kilometers from Kars, is the place where the famous cheeses of Kars were first started to be made.

It takes approximately 1 hour to reach Boğatepe Village from Kars by car. Since the village is high, I recommend you to set out, considering that the road may be snowy or icy during the winter months. on the Google Maps application of Boğatepe Village. click for location.

How to go to Boğatepe Village?

How to get to Boğatepe Village? - Village road
How to get to Boğatepe Village? – Village road

The entire road between Boğatepe Village and Kars is asphalt. It is possible to reach Boğatepe Village by private vehicles or tours from Kars city center.

In Kars, there is a minibus departing from the districts bus station (former bus station) in the city center to Boğatepe Village starting in the morning. You can get information by calling 0 474 212 43 83 to find out the hours.

History of Boğatepe Village and Moors

“Societies that do not produce are doomed to extinction!” M. Kemal Ataturk

Boğatepe Village
Boğatepe Village

As for the history of Boğatepe Village…

After the 93 War, the Russian government sends the Molokans, an ethnic community living in Russia, to Kars, in fact, it continues. The Malakans, who refused the czar's many impositions and milk fasting and did not stop drinking milk, were sent to this region. Famous Russian writer Tolstoy, author of "War and Peace", the world's most well-known Moor.

Malakan means "milk drinkers" in Russian.. With the arrival of the Moors in this region, the story of cheese production begins in Boğatepe Village and its surroundings. old name of the village Zavot means dairy in Russian, that is, the place where cheese is produced. They start to apply what they have learned in Russia in not only cheese, but also goose breeding, agriculture and animal husbandry, and they bring great benefits to the people living in the region.

After the Russians left Kars, the Malakans remained in this region, until 1921, when a regular army was established and citizens began to be recruited. Because Malakans are against any kind of war, they are also against military service. Most of them have left Kars since then. There are only a few Molokans left now.

In 1910, David Moser, a Swiss cheese maker, comes to this area. He must have been impressed by the region's resemblance to the Swiss Alps, starting a dairy here and making Gruyere cheese. This is how the story of the famous Kars Gravyeri begins.

After the Molaks leave the region, the Karapapaks (Terekemes) settle in the villages around Kars. Cheese production continues in this period.

In the Republican Period, Atatürk sent Fehmi Bey from Plovdiv from the Balkans to this region and pioneered the learning of kashkaval cheese making, and this is how Kars Kashkaval was born.

Boğatepe Village - Kars Gruyere, Kars Kashkaval and Cecil cheeses
Boğatepe Village – Kars Gruyere, Kars Kashkaval and Cecil cheeses

If you want to have a little more idea about the Moors, you can watch the movie DELİ MAD BEING, starring Tarık Akan and Şerif Sezer.

The story of Boğatepe Village does not end like this, what follows is a bit more sad. In 2000, when the bus carrying passengers to the village crashed, 23 people from the village lost their lives. This great loss offends the people living in the village, the village gives a great migration. Production, livestock, cheese making, everything stops.

Boğatepe Village Environment and Life Association

İlhan Koçulu lost his brother in this accident. When he comes to the village 3 years later, he sees that the village is about to disappear. He decides to establish an association to prevent the few remaining people from emigrating. They present a project to the United Nations, the United Nations says, "We will not provide you with funds if women are not involved". In 2007, Boğatepe Environment and Life Association was established with 45 female and 15 male members.

Thanks to the association, production begins in the village, migration back to the village begins, and dairy farms are established in the village and old-fashioned cheese production begins.

Boğatepe Village
Boğatepe Village

650 kinds of plants grow in the village, specialist physicians are brought to the village to understand these endemic species and the people of the village receive training. Plant drying workshops are established. It is ensured that women develop themselves through courses such as a communication course to communicate with incoming experts, a health course to understand and use plants correctly, and a nutrition course. Vegetable cultivation is started in small greenhouses.

They become a sister association with an association from France, but when the French say, “If you learn French, we will send you guests”, the women of the village learn French this time and start eco-tourism. They organize activities such as hiking trails, horse tours, tent camps where you can spend time with nature.

Our goal is: "Rural women take part in society, have a say in the family, stand by their husbands rather than in front of them, and leave a true life for future generations," they say.

After the establishment of the association, reverse migration begins to the village, which was on the verge of extinction. 7 different dairy farms are established, the population of the village is increasing again and today there are enough students to fill the village school.

Boğatepe Village Primary School
Boğatepe Village Primary School

There's nothing left for me to say anymore. Other than watching Zümran Ömür, who tells us all this, with admiration….

Kars Boğatepe Village Cheese Museum

Kars Boğatepe Village Cheese Museum
Kars Boğatepe Village Cheese Museum

The Cheese Museum, Turkey's first cheese museum, was established in 2010 in order to preserve and preserve the cheese diversity in the region in Boğatepe Village, which pioneered the initiation and development of cheese making in the Republican Period.

Boğatepe Village Breakfast Places

Boğatepe Village Breakfast
Boğatepe Village Breakfast

In many village houses in Boğatepe Village, local food and local breakfast are served. You can eat your delicious breakfast, enriched with gruyere, cheddar, çecil cheese with and without mold, as well as jams, honey, ketchup and bagels made in the village, by chatting with the household.

We were guests at the house of Zümran Ömür and her family. Thank you again for hosting us.

One day before you go to the village for breakfast, you have to call and let them know that you are coming. After all, we are guests at the house. Just like we are going to be a guest, we have to go to the breakfast here with advance notice.

You can find contact information on Zümran Ömür's website or social media accounts.

Koçulu Farm
Koçulu Farm

Apart from Zümran Ömür, Koçulu Farm is one of the places where you can get a mixed village breakfast. They turned one of the buildings in the garden of the house into a product sales point.

Zumran Life Farm

Zumran Life Farm
Zumran Life Farm

Zümran Hanım has a dairy just below her house. She produces çecil cheese (with moldy and non-mold options), Kars Fresh Cheddar, Kars Old Cheddar, Kars Gruyere, Malakan Cheese, Tulum Cheese and Butter. If you want, you can buy it when you come here, you can order over the phone or online, they send it to all over Turkey.

Zümran Ömür and Boğatepe Village Be sure to watch my video too!

In the meantime, we had the opportunity to chat separately with Zümran Hanım and her husband. It is a great pleasure and privilege to meet such enlightened and cultured people. I was proud of them for developing themselves like this.

Kars Travel Articles

Be sure to check out my other travel articles about Kars.

Stay on the Road!

"Does he who reads a lot or travels a lot?" I started by saying, I am still looking for an answer. I travel after my dreams and share my experiences on my blog, newspapers and magazines. I love to travel, read, write and dream.

4 Comments

  1. Your article and video are very nice and they both have the same shortcomings; Zümran lady's internet address is not attached to one side ‍♂️
    stay well

    • Actually, there was a website address in the blog post, but the site was closed (I don't know if they opened it now) so I removed the broken link.

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