ABSTRACT
This chapter presents the developments through the prism of Kilis border. Despite the strong convictions among townspeople and their prospects about cross-border trade, the armed conflicts escalating throughout Syria halted the cross-border movement unilaterally. The intensification of conflict at subsequent stages of war has resulted in the fleeing of civilians from Syria en masse and seeking refuge across the Turkish border. Although border cities harbour strong grievances about the refugees, the authorities publicize local hospitality as a way of tackling the humanitarian crisis. Many locals in Kilis regarded the refugee home-making practices as a transgression of guesthood boundaries. They considered these practices as attesting to the prolonged stay of refugees and exacerbation of their own living conditions. The size of the refugee movement at the Turkish–Syrian border, difficult for local authorities and civic initiatives to cope with, opened room for the humanitarian intervention of international as well as national organizations.
