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Blacksmiths in Urfa Turkey

Blacksmiths in Urfa Turkey Video I was walking through the market in Sanliurfa when I came upon a section that was reserved for blacksmiths. I watched for a moment as a man ordered a shovel to be made by hand over an open flame. I asked if I could make a video, and the blacksmith [...]

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Blacksmiths in Urfa Turkey Video

I was walking through the market in Sanliurfa when I came upon a section that was reserved for blacksmiths. I watched for a moment as a man ordered a shovel to be made by hand over an open flame.

I asked if I could make a video, and the blacksmith obliged with a smile.

Video of Blacksmith in Turkey

After shooting the above blacksmith video I began talking with another man in the metal shop next door about what he was doing. He was welding a spout onto a stainless steel tea kettle. I introduced myself and went to shake his hand. He revealed a paw that was dirty from his work and hesitated. He was giving me the option to not go through with the handshake.

I shook his hand anyway. In travel, you cannot be afraid to get your hands dirty.

A crowd soon formed around me, as has the tendency of happening whenever I start talking to someone in this part of Turkey. My tattoos were soon noticed and I showed them to the onlookers. The blacksmith from the video and the farmer who ordered the shovel soon joined the crowd.

We all talked for a while to the best of our respective linguistic and pantomiming abilities and I tried to learn as much as I could about how the people in this stretch of the world make metal tools by hand.


Blacksmith in Turkey.

Metal worker in Sanliurfa making a stainless steel pot by hand. My father is a sheet metal worker in the USA and the arts seem to be similar. Whenever I see someone welding sheet metal I stop and try to have a conversation with them.

I find it interesting to watch tools being made by hand. You use tools to make or fix something else, and it is interesting to consider that the tools themselves were made my other tools which were made by other tools and on and on.


Blacksmith in a market in Sanliurfa in the far southeast of Turkey.

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Blacksmiths in Urfa Turkey Video

Filed under: Jobs and Professions, Middle East, Tools, Turkey

About the Author:

I am the founder and editor of Vagabond Journey. I’ve been traveling the world since 1999, through 91 countries. I am the author of the book, Ghost Cities of China and have written for The Guardian, Forbes, Bloomberg, The Diplomat, the South China Morning Post, and other publications. has written 3699 posts on Vagabond Journey. Contact the author.

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