The day I fell in love with Gaziantep….

Like every summer, the July heat crushed the city of Gaziantep.

As much as my husband raved about the vibrant city, my enthusiasm was rather mediocre.

This time he wanted to show me the Copper Bazaar and told me the story of the ‘Yemenis’. Handmade leather shoes in all imaginable colours. Their history led all the way to Hollywood, where filmmakers discovered the traditional shoes used in the glorious film ‘Spartacus’.

We were slurping down a main street in the heat of the sun, when my gaze wandered to a small alleyway.

The narrow alley made of cobblestone was the complete opposite of the adjoining high-rise concrete blocks.

With my lukewarm water bottle I pointed to the alley and asked Ali what there was. “This is the Bey Mahallesi, an old part of the town with old sandstone houses.”

Old sandstone houses??? My romantic architect heart beat faster. “Please can we take a look?” I asked excited.

Said and done. We crossed the street on which a stressed tin caravan honked to itself.

We past the first alley of the district and I had fallen already in love. I need to live here my mind and heart both shouted out…

And here begins my story, my blog, my life…. Here in Bey Mahallesi…