Gagauzlar: Tülü Küü

A study of Etulia, a geographic cul-de-sac where the arid landscape shapes the soul. Shot in 2020-21, the series captures a quiet 'Gagauzness' beyond stereotypes, revealing a community rooted in land rather than modern geopolitical games.

Etulia (Tülü Küü), founded in 1808, is the southernmost village in Moldavian Gagauzia. It is a geographic "cul-de-sac," remote from the administrative centers of Comrat and Chișinău and surrounded on three sides by the Ukrainian border. This distance has fostered a unique mental microclimate, where Gagauz culture — a rare blend of Turkic roots and Eastern Orthodoxy — has been preserved in a remarkably intact form.

In this arid and harsh corner of the Budjak steppe, the landscape is as much a protagonist as the people. For over two centuries, this environment has dictated the terms of life, shaping a character that is resilient and deeply rooted. In turn, the inhabitants have adapted the land to their needs, cultivating grapevines and producing wine in a territory where the summer heat makes survival a daily labor.

The history of the Gagauz people remains an enigma. Whether they are descendants of Turkic-speaking tribes from the Altai or Turkic Bulgarians who refused to convert to Islam, their identity is a tapestry of ancient mysteries and pagan-influenced Orthodox rituals. Today, they are a small ethnic group of around 150,000 people, split between the borders of Moldova and Ukraine.

These photographs, taken between 2020 and 2021, capture a moment of "pre-war" stillness. In recent years, Gagauzia has increasingly become a focal point for external geopolitical interests, turning its people into "hostages" of a larger game and thick layers of stereotypes.

This project looks past the modern political slogans and "museum-style" performances. It is a study of a people in their natural state — in their homes, fields, and churches — trying to preserve their soul and their home as the world around them undergoes a profound and aggressive shift.