Turqueria Entrance Uzun Çarşı Kaş, Turkey
Orhan and Martina Yılmaz, along with their children Melissa and Timur, are the owners of Turqueria, a shop full of beautiful and interesting antiques and art work. Turqueria sells mainly gravures (a printing process using recessed areas on a metal cylinder that hold the ink), maps, old paintings, technical tools, pocket and wrist watches, old copper objects, Ottoman fabrics and jewellery.
Orhan Yilmaz and son Timur
Orhan was born in Turkey but his family moved to Germany when he was very young and he went to both primary and high school in Germany. He also took two years of university study before he moved back to Turkey with his parents in 1983. While in Germany, Orhan studied electronic engineering and also worked as a student intern at Siemens. Because he was German schooled and spoke the language fluently he was told by his managers that he might have a great career with Siemens at their Turkish facility if he finished his four years at the German university. However, for personal reasons, he decided to leave school and move with his family back to Turkey, a decision he agonised over at the time. Now, however, he is very glad he chose to follow his current life.
After he returned to Turkey, Orhan attempted to enroll in a Turkish university and discovered that he could not transfer his two years at the German university and would have to start over again. He decided not to follow that route and in 1983 he started to work in the famous Istanbul Covered Bazaar or Kapalı Çarşı in an antique shop. There Orhan learned both salesmanship and buying and selling and repairing of old merchandise. In 1988 he became a partner with some people and started to run his own shop.
Martina Yilmaz and her children Timur and Melissa
Martina Moeferdt was born and grew up in the south of Germany in a little village called Dischingen in Baden-Württemberg. When she finished school, she moved to Würzburg, a beautiful town on the river Main. In Würzburg and Nuernberg she studied to become a Bookseller and worked in Würzburg for 6 years. Then she got the chance to work for one year in the German Bookshop in Istanbul. There she met Orhan…
Orhan and Martina Yilmaz
While working in the shop one day, Martina entered looking for candle holders. Orhan was very attracted to her but was not successful in finding out much about her. He had tried to be helpful, speaking only in Turkish to her, but she kept her distance, seemingly having had experience shopping in Istanbul. Martina decided not to speak much and she left the shop without Orhan finding out who she was. A few weeks later a friend invited him to a party but he had already accepted an invitation to another holiday party. Upon arrival he found this party boring so he called his friend back and accepted his invitation. Much to his great surprise and relief, Martina was also at this party with some German friends and this time Orhan spoke German to her, they became friends and later married in 1990. Martina had come from Germany a year earlier and at that time she had been working at a German bookstore. She liked living in Turkey and decided to stay.
During their time together, Orhan and Martina visited Kaş on two different holidays. In 1992 Orhan and Martina moved to Kaş. Orhan and his partners had a carpet shop in Kaş which was not being well run and Orhan took over the management of this shop. Martina was excited about moving but Orhan was reluctant. He felt comfortable with his income and moving from Istanbul to Kaş was a bit of a culture shock for him. Martina suggested they give it a try and he agreed. They have been here ever since.
Turqueria antiques inside Kaş, Turkey
Later they sold their interest in the Istanbul shop and started a shop for both carpets and antiques. Since then Martina and Orhan have continued to run the shop as a small family business with the help of their children during the summer.
Martina says that living in Istanbul was (and is) great, however in a big city she believes that she would always be a foreigner. In Kaş she says people know that you belong to this place and respect you. In Istanbul every morning she had to decide what clothes to wear depending on which part of Istanbul she needed to go, in Kaş she wears what she feels like. Martina believes that life in Kaş is much more free and easy: “you can wear what you want and you can (nearly) do what you want. Kaş has a beautiful landscape, beautiful weather and a beautiful life!”
Their jewellery comes from Huseyin Sağtan and their ceramics from famous or well known artists such as İsmail Yiğit, Şeyda Aksu, or Nuray Ada. They are also happy to exibit modern paintings of young Kaş artists in order to support them.
Contact Turqueria:
Uzunçarşı No: 21, Kaş/Antalya
Phone: +90 242 836 16 31
Mobile: +90 0 535 440 26 61
EMail: nauticakas@superonline.com
They also own two very nice villas in Çukurbağ valley which is a 10 minute drive from Kaş at an elevation approximately 700 meters above sea level. In addition they have two small apartments available in Kaş for weekly or monthly rental.
Villa Kurt
http://www.viviun.com/AD-82731/
Villa Felen & Turqueria Apart
Phone: +90 242 836 19 68
Mobile: +90 0 534 314 33 84
villakurt@hotmail.com
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