Turkish imam uses music to heal earthquake survivors' wounds

Ibrahim Gulcu, a 37-year-old imam of the Payas Selim II Mosque built in 1574 in Türkiye's southern province of Hatay, mesmerises visitors with soothing ney music in the mosque's courtyard.

Having developed an interest in crafting ney flutes 12 years ago at the mosque within the Sokullu Mehmet Pasha Complex, Gulcu transformed part of the mosque into a workshop where he spends his free time making these traditional end-blown flutes.

His music, played under the shade of a 1,357-year-old monumental olive tree in the mosque's courtyard, attracts both local and foreign visitors.

Ney crafting

Gifting students with neys

Gulcu also gifts the neys he crafts to students participating in his lessons, including those affected by the February 6, 2023 earthquakes that hit southern Türkiye. Speaking to Anadolu Agency, he said his passion for ney-making began out of curiosity and has since become a significant part of his life.

Gulcu has received positive feedback from the mosque's congregation, known locally as Sari Selim Mosque. He noted: "Under the olive tree, I play the pieces requested by our congregation, and we receive wonderful comments.

Besides hymns, I also play ancestral pieces. Some visitors, intrigued by the sound, want to learn how to make and play the ney.

"There are 20 students to whom I offer free ney-crafting and playing lessons. I derive no profit from neys I produce. I gift them to my students, especially to our earthquake-affected brothers and sisters."

The Sokullu Mehmet Pasha Complex and Payas Selim II Mosque, built by Mimar Sinan in 1574, attract many local and international visitors. Gulcu, fluent in Arabic, French, and English, also gives tourists a historical insight into the site.