![]() ![]() He had a knife sharpening stone and used a cut-throat razor. Aram recalls how his usta inflated a balloon and shaved it. Mehmet encouraged Aram by giving him private lessons. I was impressed, because he was the best barber in that region.” “His name was Mehmet … I saw that he was the best at cutting beards and hair … customers came to him from far away. Aram learned honesty and morality from Alca, but it was another barber working at the salon that had the biggest influence on the 15 year old. Aram’s first usta was Hüseyin Okyay, a highly disciplined and very exacting man who placed great emphasis on dressing neatly and well.Īram was planning to complete another year of middle school during his apprenticeship, but his father became ill and he had to return to his hometown of Elâziğ.Īram needed to work full time, and he started with a new usta, Kazım Alca. Instead, he began an apprenticeship at 14 in Tunceli in eastern Turkey under an usta, a master. At that time, there wasn’t a trade school,” he said. Would-be barbers most likely learned through observation and endless hours of practice, much like Nihat Aram. Nihat Aram learned to be a barber through apprenticeships in his teens. Barbers were quick to see the potential and arranged with owners to set up in a corner inside. The first coffee houses opened up, providing public spaces for debate. When Süleyman the Magnificent took over as Sultan in 1520, Turkish society changed. Prior to that, shaving was haram, forbidden, and men grew their beards long in keeping with Islamic belief. Many men in Turkey visit their barber every week.Įstablishments range from small local places such as this one to uberexpensive, upmarket salons and everything in between.Īlthough shaving dates back to the time of the Egyptians, little is known about the specific history of barbers in Turkey before the 16th century. The rest of the world could learn a thing or two from the standard of personal care men observe here, and there are some techniques below worth replicating at home. It’s not surprising because male grooming, particularly shaving, is on a level of its own in Turkey. This narrow backstreet in Kadıköy, on the Asian side of Istanbul, teems with men’s hairdressers. ![]() Across the way, ’90s pop music plays over the speakers of a café while up the road groups of men sitting on low stools sip ruby colored tea from small tulip-shaped glasses. The decor is minimal, just a few photos on the wall, and the lighting is bright. In the barbershop behind him, down a few stairs, square black chairs are positioned in front of an immaculately clean white counter, inset with individual washbasins for each customer. Nihat Aram stands at the door of Turan Erkek Kuaförü, where he’s worked for 20 years, waiting for his next customer. ![]()
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