Long before electric refrigerators and air conditioners transformed daily life, snow pits served as one of Anatolia's most important natural cooling systems, helping communities cope with the intense summer heat. Today, however, this centuries-old tradition is on the verge of disappearing.

According to Prof. Dr. Cevdet Yılmaz, Head of the Department of Geography Education at the Faculty of Education of Ondokuz Mayıs University (OMU), snow pits represent far more than a practical means of preserving snow, they are an integral part of Anatolia's cultural heritage.

A Traditional Cooling System Rooted in Nature

In his research, titled "Snow, Ice, and Cooling Culture in Anatolia," Prof. Dr. Yılmaz explains that snow collected from mountain slopes or extracted from snow pits near settlements was once sold to local residents and shopkeepers during the summer months.

People used the snow to prepare traditional refreshments such as snow sherbet and karsambaç, a popular shaved-ice dessert, while ice cream makers and beverage vendors relied on it to keep their products cool. In this way, communities were able to stay refreshed during the hottest months of the year using entirely natural methods.

Natural Refrigerators Before Electricity

The study examines some of the last surviving snow pits, particularly those found in mountainous and rural areas, highlighting traditional cooling techniques developed in harmony with nature.

In karst landscapes, natural rock fissures were adapted into what were effectively natural refrigerators, allowing food to be stored for months without electricity. The research identifies naturally cooled storage sites in Şavşat, in the province of Artvin, as some of the last living examples of this remarkable tradition.

"Snow Pits Preserved More Than Snow—They Preserved Culture"

Dr. Yılmaz emphasized that snow pits were not merely storage structures but also important elements of Anatolia's social life and collective memory.

He noted that many ice cream makers and beverage vendors once maintained their own snow pits, while the collection and storage of snow often took place through imece, Türkiye's traditional system of communal cooperation.

In the Çarşamba district of Samsun, for example, children helped fill snow pits by carrying snow and trampling it together to compact it, turning the activity into a form of neighborhood solidarity.

A Culinary Tradition Shaped by Snow

The study also highlights that Anatolia's snow culture extended well beyond storage practices.

Traditional delicacies such as karsambaç, snow sherbet, snow halva, snow molasses, karma, and iced fruit compote have long been part of Anatolian cuisine. In particular, karsambaç, especially popular in the Kahramanmaraş and Adana regions, is regarded as a precursor to modern Turkish ice cream.

"A Cultural Heritage Is Quietly Disappearing"

Dr. Yılmaz noted that the widespread adoption of electric refrigeration from the 1970s onward rapidly rendered snow pits obsolete, leading to the gradual disappearance of an important aspect of Anatolia's cultural heritage.

As this tradition faded, many related occupations and expressions also began disappearing from everyday life. These include terms such as karcı (snow collector), kar tradesman, snow pit, snow sherbet, karsambaç, the Ottoman-era official known as the Kar Kethüdası (Chief Snow Steward), and the charitable tradition of distributing mountain snow to the poor, the sick, pregnant women, and children during hot Ramadan days; a practice once known as kar sevabı ("the virtue of providing snow").

Dr. Yılmaz stressed that this rich cultural legacy should be documented before it is lost forever.

The study concludes by calling for the remaining snow pits to be recorded and preserved, for the knowledge and experience of the last practitioners of the snow trade to be documented, and for further scientific research into this unique aspect of Anatolia's cultural heritage.