05.07.2026 21:01
A young man who has dreamed of marrying the girl he loves for years, but has always been blocked by the bride price obstacle, works in the fields with his family to be with his beloved. While the young man wants the bride price to be abolished, the father, who has three children of marriageable age, says that no matter how hard they work, they cannot collect the bride price.
Families coming from the Siverek district of Şanlıurfa and working as agricultural laborers in Aksaray sweat in the fields despite the scorching heat, while fathers complain about not being able to marry off their children, and young people of marriage age complain about the bride price.
“IT STARTS AT 600 THOUSAND LIRAS...”
Yakup Erdine, 28, who works daily wages with his mother, father, and siblings in the garlic fields of Aksaray, said he is working to save up for the bride price. Erdine, stating that the bride price starts at 600 thousand liras, said: "We have marriage ahead of us, there is the bride price. I call on families who receive bride price here, let this bride price be abolished. Let it be abolished, they have made marriage difficult. Especially in our Eastern region. For example, in the West, there is no such thing. They love, families agree as they wish, couples take each other. The bride price is very high. The bride price starts at 600 thousand liras. They want gold, they want bracelets. Some want 250 grams, 300 grams, 400 grams. That's why I haven't been able to get married."
“LET THEM ABOLISH THE BRIDE PRICE”
"Why am I working away from home with my family? If I were married now, would my family come away from home? I'm saving up for the bride price, of course. I have two siblings behind me. We married my older brother with difficulty, his debts are still there. That's also a fact. We have called many times for the bride price to be abolished, but no one listens. They have made marriage difficult. I especially call on families who receive bride price. Let them abolish the bride price. Working is good, working is a great virtue, but let them not make it difficult. I had someone I loved, they didn't give her because of the bride price."
“I HAVE 3 SONS WHO HAVE COMPLETED THEIR MILITARY SERVICE, BUT I CANNOT MARRY THEM OFF”
Hüseyin Erdine, 53, who has three sons of marriage age, said that a solution must be found for the bride price, adding: "We are agricultural workers. We come and work here. Right now we can't afford the bride price. The bride price has risen to 2 million. To afford 2 million, a family needs to work for at least 2 years. We are struggling to raise the bride price. I mean, now the bride price is 2 million. And to earn 2 million, you come and work for 2 years, and you still can't marry off one child. A single republic gold coin is now 50 thousand liras. There's the gold, there's the food. It's quite expensive. We can't afford it. I have 3 sons now, they have completed their military service, but I just can't marry them off. It's back and forth, back and forth. They have loved ones too, but there's no money. Let the bride price be abolished. Because of the bride price, we simply cannot marry off our children."