In recent years, the media has regularly written about Dersim, Turkey's political history, the historical context of the Tunceli region, and the influence of politics on Alevite culture and community, a liberal humanist minority religion and culture in Turkey.

Much of this attention rightly relates to the "Dersim uprising" of the 1930s and the various attempts by the Turkish government to exaggerate the differences between the state and Alevism and to "criminalize" them, in order to curb its individuality, identity, and freedoms. Logically, this media attention has primarily focused on the human tragedies of this history. Recent Turkish expansion into "Tunceli" and the visibility of the army have put further pressure on the Alevite landscape.

The Munzur Valley is the spiritual heart of Dersim and plays a crucial role in maintaining the Alevite Kurds' ties to their identity. The rugged mountains provide(d) an inaccessible and safe haven for the Alevi Kurdish community, where violence is etched in the mountain landscape. The Munzur Valley National Park (established in 1971) is the largest and most biodiverse national park in Turkey.

The true place and identity of this area often remain underexposed. The Alevis' relationship with the landscape is reciprocal and equal. This justifies specific attention to the landscape of Dersim in this project, because of its intrinsic significance.

As someone not directly involved, it is impossible to fully grasp the essence of Dersim. Attempting to do so would not only be presumptuous but also fail to do justice to the complexity of the subject. Her project in Dersim (Tunceli) is primarily an investigation of both the natural beauty and the political and historical context of the region, through photography.

My expertise as an image maker lies precisely there: in giving meaning to a complex urban and landscape reality through photography, today's most influential medium. The context of this project therefore concerns both the political and cultural situation in Dersim, as well as its influence on Dersim's identity and the role photography plays. Only then can an equal encounter arise between the image maker as an outsider and Dersim's identity.

The project began in May 2024, with ample opportunity for experimentation and location scouting. Exploring existing imagery of the region was part of this creative process. In consultation with the client, locations were identified and contacts and mountain guides were involved.

The Dersim region essentially consists of two distinct realities, brought together in a single photographic work. First, the actual situation "on the ground," with the confrontational presence of army posts and checkpoints, minarets, the nondescript architecture that characterizes the expansion of Tunceli, and the consequences of a dam on its lifeline, the Munzur River. In addition, there is ample space for elements important to the identity of the Alevi community: history, myths, and holy places, widely scattered throughout the region, beyond everyday visibility in the streets.

Hundreds of photographs were taken, from viewpoints and of details, at the Ana Fatma spring, of the Munzur River, the Duzgun Baba holy mountains, of the family lands, and the Pülümür mountain ranges. At different times of day, in daylight and at dusk, and in varying weather conditions.

In this single photographic work, all these images come together. Which elements are important? What is true and real? What history and geography do you allow? What do you want to see?

Frank van der Salm, Lay of the Land, 2025.
248 x 140 cm, editie van 2 en 1 A.P.