Pass-enger 

The journey that starts from Afghanistan and continues between continents..

As in every period, migration is one of the most fundamental issues not only in our geography but also in the world in the 21st century. Migration; It has emerged with the history of humanity and continues to exist until today, and it will continue as long as human beings exist.

Afghanistan is one of the countries where the migration problem is most intense. In this country, there has been an ongoing migration for years due to war, economic, ethnic, religious and freedom of rights. Many countries are invariably transit routes in this migration journey. Turkey is one of the most important stops of the migration journey that continues first with Pakistan and then with Iran. Turkey, on the other hand, functions as a gateway to the west.

So, what period does the first strong wave of immigration from Afghanistan correspond to? In 1979, the Soviet Union entered Afghanistan and with its withdrawal in 1989, there was a wave of immigration in the country, which was experiencing civil war.

With the strengthening of radical Islamist organizations, especially the Taliban, there were intense migrations between 1994-2001 in this country, where there was no shortage of constant conflicts.

After the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States, immigration in Afghanistan has continued to increase until today.

The migration journey continued uninterruptedly in 2020-2021, when the Covid-19 epidemic, which affected the whole world, was seen most intensely. In 2021, the Taliban came to power. Those who fled the oppressive regime after his passing took their breath at the borders.

Not only Afghans, but also Pakistanis and Iranians were added to this migrant journey due to reasons such as political instability and oppressive regime in neighboring countries.

It is not such an easy journey. According to the expressions of the immigrants; This journey, which takes 30 days, sometimes takes 50 days.

This journey, made in return for the money paid to smugglers, starts from Afghanistan. This journey is carried out with the chain management established by smugglers. The first link of the chain; It starts with paying the determined amount of money to the smuggler in

Afghanistan. Another link in the chain is Pakistan, Iran and Turkey. The first smuggler in Afghanistan provides the first smuggler's instructions and payments to the smugglers in these countries and provides the journey of the immigrants he sends.

According to the transfer of migrants trying to cross from Afghanistan to Pakistan and caught by the soldiers, they work for a month in the construction of the Pakistan-Iran border wall. When they pass from Pakistan to Iran, their difficult journey begins once again through the towns of Khoy, Selmas, Maku and Urmia. It takes place with immigrants passing through Turkey's 300-kilometer border with Iran. Especially the places where immigrants pass; Van, Hakkari, Doğubayazıt and Iğdır.

However, when cold weather conditions are added to these days-long journeys, the migration journey turns into a complete torture. It is very difficult for immigrants who have to cross high mountains to survive in harsh natural conditions.

It happens to those who freeze on the journey or are killed by predators. Added to these conditions are problems such as hunger, shelter and abuse. In the cities they reach, immigrants who are loaded into vehicles such as trucks and lorries also die in trafficaccidents. The number of immigrants killed in traffic accidents is quite high. The most concrete example of this is the cemetery for the orphans in Van. There are only numbers on

dozens of graves.

Immigrants coming to Turkey with these thousands of daily passes, again under the guidance of smugglers, reach the Tatvan district of Bitlis via Lake Van or by road; from there it goes to cities such as Diyarbakır, Istanbul, Ankara, Denizli and Düzce. During this journey, none of the drivers of vehicles and the drivers of the buses carrying intercity passengers take the immigrants to the vehicles originating from the ban.

Only helpful people are trying to support the immigrants on their journey. Meals are served especially to those staying by the roadside.

Or, some employers try to support immigrants who have to stay in bus stations or mosques with meals such as breakfast. Immigrants, on the other hand, do not have coats or sweaters to keep them warm, even as their shoes fall apart during their long journeys. In Turkey, which seems to be the last stop of the whole journey, what those who come to Turkey experience, both their facial expressions and clothes reveal.

Diyarbakir terminal is one of the destinations of immigrants. Their wait here takes 7 -15 days. During this time, he is waiting for the smugglers to take them away. Every season is difficult for them. Either in the scorching shelter of the summer or in the cold frost of the winter, the garden of the terminal becomes places. They stay at the bottom of the trees, at the bottom of the walls, and they wait here day and night. The lucky ones find a place on the tiles in the empty sections of the bus station and sleep.

After the smugglers' arrangement, they continue their journey to Ankara and Istanbul, and some to European countries. There are also risks of being detained and sent back on this journey. Immigrants make great efforts to avoid this situation.

Immigration Administration In Turkey, the highest number of applications for international protection in 2020 were Afghan nationals. As of the end of 2020, 22,606 Afghans applied for international protection in Turkey. Iraqis followed Afghans with 5,875 applications and Iranians with 1,425 applications.

The photographs present sections on this migration journey. A cross-section of the stories of immigrants who continue their migration journey despite the Covid-19 outbreak, cold, heat and smugglers on Van, Tatvan, Bitlis and Diyarbakır roads and stops.

This photographic work was supported by the National Geographic Society during the Covid-19 pandemic.