Ĥec Ĥesna

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VciNU_wrqxw

The documentary presented by the channel Hatin li Efrînê explores the village of Hec Hasna a Jêrîn, also referred to locally as Heşhesnê, located in the broader Efrîn region. Hosted by Xelîce Sîno from the village of Baedîna, the episode captures the daily lives and personal histories of the residents during the holy month of fasting. Supported by viewers from the diaspora, including a sponsor named Aliya living in Almanyayê with ties to the village of Meydanê, the film crew aims to share an evening meal with local households while documenting their stories.

The village of Hec Hasna a Jêrîn appears as a quiet and resilient rural community where elderly residents navigate the physical and emotional challenges of age, illness, and loss. The host first visits an elderly woman named Wedha, commonly known as Dayîka Hemûde. She is the widow of Ebd Elqasim. During their conversation, Wedha discusses her failing health and the collapse of her traditional baking oven over a year ago. She explains the difficulties of getting medical treatment, which requires costly travel to the larger town of Cindirêsê. Her family is dispersed, with one son having moved to Cindirêsê and another working at the market in the neighboring village of Çolaqa.

Following this encounter, the host meets another elderly resident named Meryem. Originally from the village of Tirmîşan, Meryem reveals that she relocated to Hec Hasna a Jêrîn after an arranged marriage. She reflects on her fate and recounts her earlier years working as a seamstress in the city of Helebê to support herself. She is currently grieving the loss of her husband, who passed away five years prior, and expresses deep sorrow and loneliness. Despite her profound sadness, she finds solace in the daily support of her extended family and neighbors, illustrating the tight social bonds that sustain the elderly in rural Efrîn.

The documentary then shifts focus to the local village economy as the host visits a grocery store managed by a man named Kamîran. The host purchases various essential food items such as dates, rice, sugar, oil, eggs, and bulgur. These provisions are bought with the intention of distributing them to three vulnerable families in the village. This transaction provides a practical glimpse into local commerce and the current prices of basic goods in Heşhesnê. The television crew, including cameramen Hoşyar, Şêrvan, and Beşîr, concludes the visit by distributing the food supplies, reading a prayer for the deceased at the village graveyard, and expressing gratitude for the warm hospitality shown by the people of Hec Hasna a Jêrîn.

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THE VILLAGE OF HECHESNA

30.12.2016

The village of Hechesna is the last village in the Xastiyan mountain range from the west. It is affiliated with the Şiyê district of Efrîn canton, located 10 km southeast of the town of Şiyê and 26 km northwest of the city of Efrîn. That is, it is located between the three districts of Mabeta, Cindirêsê, and Mabeta.

The village of Hechesna is adorned with the surrounding pine forests. The name of the village comes from the name of the first person who settled in the village, and he was named ((Hec Hesen)).

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He was from the Milî tribe. Later, other families came for the work of charcoal and making poles from the surrounding forests and were forced to settle in the village. Among those families: Egêdat who are originally Arabs, Hevîdî who came not long ago, the Piçalê family and Silêmên from the village of Xilalka.

To the east of the village is the Şata valley and mountain, which contains a pine forest. To the south are Xirabê Qusîrî, Pozê Erdik, and Rezê Xelîl. To the west are Cirnikê, Qumîrî, Ekûrkê, Xirabê Çîtliqê, Xirêbe, the village of Senarê, and the Kanûşkê spring. To the north are the Dolê valley, Gola Êş, the village of Remedana, and the village of Dimiliyayê Cûmê, where no one lives now and it has become ruins.

The Ekûrkê forest is the largest pine forest in the Efrîn canton. It is all pine trees along with some hawthorn, terebinth, and avirsê bushes. It is a natural forest, but in 2006 it caught fire, and despite efforts to extinguish it, the entire forest burned down.

The forests around the village have improved the weather conditions of the region and made the area a place for trips, tours, and excursions.

There are nearly 100 houses and around 1500 people living in the village, but for various reasons, many families have moved away.

There are 15 families in the village:

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The families of Seydikê Mele, Ne’so, Ne’sê Ûsê, Reşîdê Çawîş, Mistê Eşê, Hemûdî, Piçalê, Gulkewê, Mistê Azê, Bekî Hesê, Selmên, Me’mê Birîm, Simo, Hemîdê Şêxo, Mûsê.

All families get along in good harmony and relations, and in joys and sorrows, they all help each other.

The people of the village make their living from agriculture, and the cultivation of olive fields is the main work. Due to the presence of pastures, many families own livestock such as sheep and goats. There are 2 chicken farms in the village, and 5 people work there and support their families. Nearly 50 people also work in the institutions and agencies of the Democratic Autonomous Administration. Around 30 people work in various workshops in the cities of Cindirêsê and Efrîn.

The farmers of the village face great difficulty in servicing their fields because all the fields are mountainous, so they are plowed with animals or livestock.

There are 2 martyrs from the village:

Şehîd Bedran and Ş. Ferat. The village commune is also named Ş. Dilar and the school is named Ş. Ferat.

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Simo and Hemîdê Şêxo were two well-known social figures in the village, and their homes were a place for guests and travelers, and they were very hospitable.

The Dolê Valley Road is an old road; in the past, it was a main road that went from Reco to Hemamê and Rihaniya on the border.

The village's guesthouse, named ((Tebeqê)), was the place for guests and gatherings of the village people.

The village of Hechesna is famous for its abundance of caves, and this is an indicator that this village is very old. One of the ancient areas is Xirabê Qusîrê, which is known as an ancient city to the south of the village. There are many caves, cisterns, and collapsed buildings there.

It is worth mentioning one interesting thing in the village, which is that for a long time and until now, many people are masters of stone and construction, meaning they are experts in the work of building houses, and they have inherited this skill from their fathers and grandfathers.