The Yemen Folk Song (Yemen Türküsü) is a prominent example of anonymous Turkish folk music, reflecting the deep sorrow, tragic losses, and laments that arose after soldiers sent from Anatolia and Rumelia to suppress uprisings in Yemen during the Ottoman period. More than a musical form, this song functions as a collective expression of history, suffering, and memory.
Soldiers Sent to Yemen (AI-Generated Image)
Historical Background
The Ottoman Empire's involvement in Yemen began after the conquest of Egypt in 1517 by Sultan Selim I, with direct administration commencing under Suleiman the Magnificent in 1538. From the late 19th century onward, Yemen became one of the most challenging regions for the Ottoman administration due to persistent uprisings between 1870 and 1918. For the people of Anatolia and Rumelia, Yemen came to symbolize a land of no return, a place from which sons and husbands rarely returned.
Soldiers sent to Yemen endured long and arduous journeys and suffered heavy casualties due to cholera, malaria, typhus, and logistical hardships. Entire battalions were decimated by disease, thirst, malnutrition, or enemy attacks. It is recorded that of the 55,000 Ottoman soldiers dispatched during the 1904–1905 rebellion, approximately 30,000 perished. These tragic events were engraved into the collective memory through folk songs like the Yemen Türküsü.
Socio-Cultural Context
One of the central themes in Yemen folk songs is the concept of bedel (substitution by payment). During the Ottoman era, wealthy individuals could avoid military service by paying a fee or hiring substitutes, which caused resentment among the poorer population. This injustice is a recurring motif in the lyrics.
The songs also reflect the emotional toll on women—mothers, fiancées, wives—left behind. In both Anatolia and Rumelia, women expressed their sorrow and helplessness through laments, making the Yemen Türküsü a vessel for feminine memory and emotional expression.
Geographic Distribution and Field Studies
The Yemen folk song tradition is not confined to Anatolia. In Rumelia, similar songs have been documented, including a notable version collected from Kardzhali (Kırcaali) in Bulgaria titled “Alıverin püsküllü çantamı.” Songs from regions like Xanthi, Western Thrace, Prizren, and Priština have also been compiled. Salih Turhan and Abuzer Akbıyık recorded 59 distinct Yemen songs, 35 with melodies and 24 as lyrical texts.
Musical Features
Yemen folk songs are commonly composed in the Hüseynî mode. Their melodies are slow, melancholic, and often non-metric. Usually performed solo, they are minimally accompanied, enhancing their lament-like character.
Place in Collective Memory
Beyond their musical value, Yemen folk songs are powerful tools of collective memory and identity. According to Jan Assmann’s theory of cultural memory, these songs serve as mnemonic devices that preserve and transmit communal trauma. In Turkish cultural consciousness, “Yemen” represents not just a place but a metaphor for death, hardship, and separation. As Ahmet Hamdi Tanpınar eloquently wrote, “The Yemen Folk Song is the inner novel of Anatolia.”
Yemen Folk Song (Elazığ Version)
There is a call-up at the barracks' gate
Check his bag, what does he carry?
A pair of boots and a red fez
Chorus:
Ah, Yemen—land of roses and meadows
No one returns—why is it so?
Oh, this is Huş, its road is steep
No one returns—what kind of fate is this?
There are lines of willows by the barracks
The officers give advice to the soldiers
Those who go to Yemen are brave souls
Geese gather at the barracks’ gate
My heart burns, my soul aches
Girls weep for those going to Yemen
The Yemen Folk Song (Yemen Türküsü)
Version from Rumelia (Kardzhali)
Bring me my tasseled bag, let me wear it on my arm
My father won’t pay the substitution fee, let me go on my way
Don’t go, my bride, my love—let’s just lie down and rest
Sell my dowry, father, and buy my beloved's exemption
Is that greenery across the valley, my father, weed or leaf?
What carried my beloved off to Yemen—water or earth?
Cry out, my poor mother, cry out, call for Yemen
Feed little Emine with the raisins I sent from Yemen
Let the drums and pipes be played in my garden
Let my father hold a wedding for me, let it be remembered forever
The Yemen Folk Song is a reflection of the Ottoman Empire’s late-period military and social crises within the realm of folk literature. It offers valuable insight not only into historical events but also into the emotional lives of those affected. As a form of oral culture, it preserves the memory of a generation and expresses a collective grievance that transcends time and geography.
