City tour and literary spaces in the company of Kemal Tahir's Çorum trilogy
Prof. Bekir Cantemir wrote about his trip to Çorum, conducted in the company of Kemal Tahir's Çorum Trilogy novels, and the relationships between the locations in the works and geographical reality.
Prof. Bekir Cantemir visited the city in the company of the Çorum Trilogy, consisting of Kemal Tahir's novels Yedi Çınar Yaylası, Köyün Kamburu, and Büyük Mal. Examining the relationships between the locations in the works and geographical reality, the trip brought together the traces of the past with today's urban structure.
The Çorum Trilogy and Provincial Life
Kemal Tahir's Çorum Trilogy, consisting of the novels Yedi Çınar Yaylası, Köyün Kamburu, and Büyük Mal, narrates the great transformation extending from the Tanzimat era to the early periods of the Republic through the lens of the Anatolian province.
While relations between the center and the provinces, local powers, tax farmers, bandits, and peasants constitute the world of the novel, the author shows the reflection of these events on the province rather than telling history directly.
Reading the Novel's Geography with Maps
Within the scope of edition-critique studies conducted under the advisory of Prof. Dr. İsmail Coşkun, old and new maps were compared to trace the streets, buildings, and localities mentioned in the novels.
When comparing the 1890 Ottoman Çorum map with today's maps, it was observed that fictional heroes and real Çorum locations intermingled.
September 2026 Çorum Trip and Meetings
The sole condition for participation in the trip, which took place in the first week of September 2026, was that everyone had read the approximately 1,200-page Çorum trilogy.
During the visit, evaluations regarding the economic and social history of the city were made at a meeting held at Çorum Bilgi Koleji.
Economic Development of a Provincial City
The transformation of Çorum's economy—shaped by grain production—into a global structure with soil industry and flour mills was heard from industrialist İsmail Bölükbaşı.
With limited state investments, the city created a prominent industrial success story by establishing a development economy through its own means.
Examination of Historical and Cultural Sites
Under the guidance of municipal authorities, structures that became the subject of the novels, such as Çorum Castle, old mansions, the library, the clock tower, and the Grand Mosque, were visited.
Ancient spots such as the old prison Taşhan, Paşa Hamam, and Çöplü Bazaar were toured, and the traces on the pages of the novels were observed on-site.
Yedi Çınar Plateau and Sıklık Locality
By ascending to the Sıklık locality using the relief map of the General Directorate of Mapping, the geography described in the novel was compared on the topography.
It was understood that the road and locality names in the novel's geography were largely accurate, but some elements, such as the Yedi Çınar Plateau, were shaped fictionally.