Cultural Landscape of Khinalig People and “Köç Yolu” Transhumance Route

This cultural landscape encompasses the high-mountain village of Khinalig, renowned for its unique terraced architecture and distinct linguistic heritage, and the “Köç Yolu” (Migration Route). It represents a sustainable eco-social system centred on the practice of vertical transhumance, where the semi-nomadic community migrates seasonally between summer pastures in the Greater Caucasus and winter pastures in the lowlands. The 200-kilometre route is an organically evolved network of paths, temporary campsites, mosques and mausoleums, illustrating the community’s centuries-old adaptation to extreme environmental conditions and their enduring bond with nature.