Gaziantep Publishes New Book Documenting Barak Oral Culture

Gaziantep Büyükşehir Belediyesi’s publishing arm, Gazikültür Yayınları, has released a new volume titled *Baraknağme: Bir Barak Ozanının Hatıraları*. The work records the oral and folk traditions of the Barak community through the recollections of Derviş Hüseyin Yıldırım, tracing his life from his first encounter with a saz to his experiences as a soldier, barber, and municipal employee. It details Barak customs such as village gatherings, marriage rites, wedding payments, dowry preparations, and the region’s distinctive aba wrestling, and includes historic photographs of families and villages.

The book is being sold at the Zeugma Mosaic Museum shop and the 25 December Kahramanlık Panorama Museum shop. Prof. Dr. Halil İbrahim Yakar, General Manager of the municipality’s culture department and publishing director, highlighted the book as a direct voice from within Barak culture, emphasizing its value for preserving the community’s collective memory.