Handcrafted charcoal making

Charcoal makers place the oak wood cut from the forest in a circular pattern, cover it with dried grass and soil, and then set it on fire to burn under the ground in a controlled manner for a few days.Then it is cooled and removed as coal. This traditional production method is usually carried out in the summer, when the weather is rainy. The latest temperature records put a lot of pressure on manufacturers, as their work becomes more difficult when the high heat generated around the burning piles of earth and wood adds to the extreme air temperature. Manufacturers say that the temperature can reach up to 60 to 70 Celsius degrees at their work site. Moreover, workers whose earnings have been already reduced amid the economic crisis in Turkey, say they have to continue doing this job.