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63-year-old Ilhan Gokkurt harvests salt at Palas Tuzla Lake in the Palas neighborhood of Sarioglan, Kayseri, Turkiye on August 08, 2025. Gokkurt provides for his family by harvesting salt from Palas Tuzla Lake, using centuries-old techniques passed down through generations. Located in the Palas Plain, the salt lake was designated a "strictly protected sensitive area" by a 2020 presidential decree, allowing extraction only through traditional methods. As the salt harvesting season begins, Gokkurt sets out at dawn with his horse, named 'Huri'. Wearing wide wooden boards known as “helik” to avoid sinking into the lakebed, he collects the salt by hand, filling plastic containers and dragging them to shore. After bagging the salt, he loads it onto his horse cart and returns home. The harvested salt is then sold to locals in the surrounding area, helping sustain both a tradition and his family's livelihood. (Photo by Sercan Kucuksahin/Anadolu via Getty Images)
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