Peeking Over the Syrian Border from Reyhanlı

Antakya kebab is made from a thin skewer of sheep meat. Interestingly, lamb cannot be used for kebabs.
 
In fact, lamb chops are the only thing to be made with lamb. When preparing sheep meat kebab, the best meat is obtained from Reyhanlı Avas sheep, since this sheep boasts a truly different kind of meat. The sheep can be identified by its black neck and small tail, while its meat is distinctively oily.
 
The Avas is nothing like the “purple sheep” of East Anatolia, since the latter's tail is rather large. The ground sheep meat used in the making of Antakya kebab has nothing but salt and black pepper added for spice. In the meantime, it should be noted that the famous Bursa kebab is also actually from Antakya. The family roots of İskender Efendi also trace back to Antakya. The reason that places like Adana and Urfa, which actually learned the art of making kebabs later, are so much better known for their kebabs is that many of their residents migrated, carrying their names to the wider world. Both Adana and Urfa kebabs are cooked on thick skewers, with onion, garlic, spices and lots of oil. But the thick skewers, abundant oil, onion, garlic and spices also work to push the flavor of the meat into the background. The real roots of the Antakya kebab are in Reyhanlı. In fact, the tradition of butchery and kebab making spread from Aleppo to Reyhanlı, from Reyhanlı to Antakya and then from Antakya to all over Turkey. Aleppo and its culinary traditions lie at the root of all these dishes. When drinking the slightly bittersweet “Indian date” or tamarind juice alongside the Antakya kebab, it is all the more delicious.
 
Reyhanlı was for many years the capital of the Amık plains civilization. The spot it occupies, overlooking the Amık plains from above, with a pleasant climate, accessible water sources and fertile soil, has always provided a dependable place to live. When, during the 1980s, agriculture began to be a less important source of livelihood, and as the upper classes of Reyhanlı migrated to larger Turkish cities, there was a population inflow into Reyhanlı from the surrounding villages.
 
But the advent of civil war in Syria has led to another stage of deep-rooted changes in Reyhanlı. With a population of around 70,000, Reyhanlı has received another 70,000 or so Syrians, and hundreds more arrive every day. Over the past two years, the population here has swelled to 140,000-150,000.
 
This new population has created an unheard-of chaos, but at the same time it has brought dynamism to Reyhanlı. In fact, it seems the border between Reyhanlı and Syria has melted away. Both humans and goods pass easily back and forth over the borders here, which is why none of this is perceived as smuggling. When the Turkish gendarmerie steps in to intervene in what it claims is smuggling, it now encounters reactions it has never seen before.
 
In fact, the smuggling occurring in the Reyhanlı area has become famous. None of the cigarettes sold in the town bear tax labels. One carton of cigarettes costs TL 15, one kilo of Ceylon tea costs TL 16, a 50-kilogram sack of sugar costs TL 83 and one liter of Syrian olive oil costs TL 3.50. One kilogram of sheep meat costs TL 15, while the same amount of beef costs TL 20. But the main products making their way from Syria into Reyhanlı are diesel fuel and salvaged copper.
 
The diesel fuel making its way into Turkey from Syria appears in blue, 65 liter barrels. Horses transport these barrels, each one able to carry four at a time. One barrel of diesel fuel sells for TL 90 or 8,000 Syrian pounds (LS) when it comes from Reyhanlı to places in Anatolia. The transportation cost for each barrel from Syria to Turkey is LS 1,000 (until recently, this figure was only LS 500). At this point, LS 1,000 is worth TL 9.50. In 2012, SL 1,000 had fallen as low as TL 3.50. Bashar al-Assad's resistance, and his various successes on combat fronts, caused the Syrian pound to quickly regain some of its lost value. In Turkey, empty barrels of the type mentioned here can be purchased for TL 15 and salvaged for TL 1. The blue barrels are produced in İstanbul. If the gendarmerie truly wanted to stop the smuggling along the border, instead of just pretending to do so, then supervising the production and sale of these barrels would really have some effect.