INTRICATE: A chandelier and its hues. Right: THE BUSINESSMAN: Fathi Torkhani deals in mosaic lamps and ceramics.

By Umer Nangiana


A product of human patience, creativity, and skill, glass is an invaluable substance. Though fragile, it does not change once it has assumed a form, neither does it deteriorate. And when this magical material is infused with art, artisans yield wonders.
One such wonder is mosaic lamps, handmade with tiny colourful pieces of glass aesthetically put together. And Turks have mastered this art. Glass-making has been one of the most ancient and advanced arts among them. They have excelled in using it to create mosaic lamps with multiple variations.
Fathi Torkhani, a businessman dealing in lamps and ceramics from Istanbul, Turkey, has arrived at the Ramadan Bazar at Katara Cultural Complex, exhibiting handmade Turkish wonders.
“We are here for the whole month and four days after Eid. We are selling Turkish mosaic lights and we also have coffee and tea sets besides many gift items. They are all handmade,” Torkhani said.
“We have many factories in Turkey that make transparent glass and we purchase the glass from them to give to our artisans who work from their homes to produce these mosaic lamps. The glass is cut and painted into different colours one-by-one into a shape,” he added.
The artisan, the Turk businessman said, chooses the colour combination on the size and design of the lamp.
Standing beside the floor lamps casting coloured shadows on the side walls, Torkhani said different varieties of lamps can be installed in different place in a house. “[The lamps can be used] for decoration of drawing rooms, sitting rooms, and even for bathrooms. There are some for Majlis (local name for sitting place for men) and outdoors, or any place that a client would want,” said Torkhani.
He has a team of designers who can put these lights in whichever places and in whatever design a client wants.
The floor ones that are fixed on the stands for instance can be put in the corners in the Majlis and they make a reflection on the side-walls. Easy to move from one place to the other, the floor lamps are lightweight yet compact.
The chandeliers and the globes however are fixed and cannot be moved once fixed. The Istanbul-based businessman said they customise the chandeliers and the lamps as per the taste of their clients. “Some people have already placed orders with us for some special colour combinations. One customer here came to us looking for a long chandelier, about 7.5 metres, because his house has three floors and wants it to be fixed in the staircase in such a position that it is visible from all three fours,” said Torkhani.
Normally, it takes three weeks to complete this type of an order; however, the time it takes to complete one piece depends on the size and design of the lamp. If it involves more intricate glass and mosaic work, it takes longer because it is all handmade, said the lamps dealer.
“We have installation experts and we do decoration for hotels as well. We have done decoration for Hilton hotel this Ramadan. We recognise that some people are apprehensive that they might not be able to install it correctly, so we do it for them free-of-charge,” added the businessman, trying to remove any apprehensions that people might have.
“You can place an order with us and tell us the specifications and the next day our team will come to your place and install the lamps or the chandeliers,” he said.
These lamps are very popular among Turks even today. Hundreds of Turks still flock the markets and grand bazaars in Istanbul to purchase these lamps and chandeliers. This art of creating mosaic lamps with coloured glass is ancient and has been there in Turkey for more than 100 years. Earlier, they used to place candles inside the lamps, said Torkhani, but with the advent of electricity; the candles were replaced with electric bulbs. Some, however, still prefer candles.ed