Hakkari University Biodiversity Research Herbarium

Name

Hakkari University Biodiversity Research Herbarium

Herbarium Code

VPH

Current Status

Active

Correspondents

Abdullah Dalar, Director of the Herbarium, dalar.abdullah@gmail.com
Muzaffer Mukemre, Codirector of the Herbarium, mukemre.muzaffer@gmail.com

Contact

+90 544 604 83 65
+90 542 234 12 08
Fax: [90] 432 216 75 19
Email: dalar.abdullah@yyu.edu.tr

Address

Biodiversity Research Center
Hakkari University Biodiversity Research Herbarium
Merzan
Hakkari, Hakkari 30110
TURKEY

Specialty

Taxonomic Coverage: Medicinal, poisonous, food plant, fungi, algae and lichen samples

Geography: Eastern Anatolia

Notes

Eastern Anatolia is the largest (approximately 170 000 km2) of seven geographical divisions of Turkey with 14 provinces, bordering Iraq, Iran, Nakhichevan, Armenia, and Georgia. It is included in the Irano-Turanian phytogeographical region, covered with deciduous-mixed forests and deciduous tree steppes. The area is surrounded by coastal mountain ranges, which protects it from the moderating effect of sea breezes. Subsequently, the winters are cold and long, with snow lasting for several months. They are followed by very short and rainy springs, and hot and dry summers. The mountainous and strongly fragmentised area offers numerous microclimatic and ecological zones, which provided suitable conditions for the development of diverse flora. The local population has a comprehensive knowledge of traditional herbal medicines which are commonly used to prevent or to treat disease. This knowledge was developed over centuries, when Eastern Anatolia served as a passageway between the continents of Europe, Asia and Africa. A variety of flora, fauna and cultures owe their geographical spread to this passageway. Over many centuries a number of races and tribes originated from distant lands settled in Eastern Anatolia, bringing knowledge of plants and their various uses. This heritage, combined with the local flora, has contributed to an extensive use of plants in daily life as a medicine. The knowledge of herbal medicines in this region is still mostly passed on orally (with the exception of a few codices) from one generation of religious healers (referred to as‘seyh’) and local healers (‘hekim’) to the next.

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