This is Nihat.
He is a beautiful, Kurdish-Armenian furniture restorer and artist we met in Istanbul's Beyoğlu district . But to me he is far more.
-Kumbaracı Yokuşu
His scintillating eyes and gentle smile represent a greater welcome and warmth we experienced from all those we met in Istanbul.
I have yet to encounter a more curious, kind and good-natured city. Far and wide, old and young, liberal to conservative, of all creeds and colours. And I think the kindness is contagious, it brings out the best in foreigners too. I found myself more and more open to unexpected encounters. And the fellow outlanders we met were all as kind-hearted and amiable, from Parisians to Bangladeshis, as if under the same spell (maybe there is something in the water system here).
And so Nihat welcomed us into his hive of creation, a restoration workshop also functioning as a space to hang his plethora of figures painted on repurposed pieces of wood. We shared no language, but with mime and mutual amusement, managed to buy a few paintings from him. I was especially charmed by a discreet image of Jesus illustrated on an old plank. We had a profound moment as he shared, through some hand gestures, that he had a Christian faith too, thanks to his Armenian heritage. We smiled. In fact I think every meeting on this trip concluded with lots of smiling.
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