"KARAGÖZ ANTIQUE SHOP"  Kapalıçarşı Eski Aynalı Çarşı No:12
Bursa 16020 Turkey

  Tel / Fax : 224 2205350 - 2218727

 

Since 1960 in Bursa
Bursa Region's Handwoven and Handmade embroideries and Turkoman costumes...
Turkey's best puppeteer's leather Karagoz shadow puppets...
Old and new copperware, samovars, hubble bubbles, carpets, kilims...
Old and new silver jewelery and goods...
Mother of pearl inlaid wooden goods and baby cradles...
All kinds of authentic souvenirs and gifts...
And many many more than you can imagine ... items at reasonable prices...
 in Karagoz Antique Shop...

 
 Karagöz Antique Shop is the oldest and the first antique 
shop in Bursa which was founded by Mr.Rafet Çelikkol who is 
the father of Mr.Şinasi Çelikkol. Mr Rafet started dealing with 
antiquities and handicrafts of the local people and the villagers
around Bursa in 1950's. He started collecting these items
from them. He first had his small shop in the open market area
selling hats, then he moved to a small corner shop at the 
entrance of the Koza Han-Silk Market. Then he had another at
the entrance of the underground market, which is the 
basement floor of the main covered bazaar. It was under the 
stairs. Finally he moved to Eski Aynalı Çarşı where still today 
Karagöz Antique Shop is present.Rafet was a well known, 
humorous person in the city. He was a ski teacher as well.
He was a volunteer guide for the foreign visitors which most of 
them he took home to stay and opened his house .He died in
a traffic accident in 1973 when his first grandchild Uğur was 
only some months old. His son Şinasi took over the shop 
business, worked hard and improved it. He made
the name Karagöz be well known and spread all over the
world. He himself became a Karagöz Turkish Shadow
Theater Puppeteer as well. He founded a theater and started 
organising Karagöz Puppet Festivals in Bursa since 1992.
When you say Karagöz in Bursa people will remember of 
Mr.Şinasi and the Celikkol family because all the family is 
involved in the business and the Karagöz project.
Karagöz Antique Shop is the best place to find the leather 
shadow puppets made by different artists. It is worth to see theshop only for the Karagöz screen
which welcomes you when
you enter the shop. If you missed the regular show in 
Karagöz House, you may ask fo a small performance.
The shop is not only famous for it's sahadow ouppets but 
also the handicraft collection from all over Turkey especially 
the costumes and embroideries of Turkoman (Nomads).
Mr.Şinasi is a researcher of Mountain villagers who are 
originally Turkomans. h ehas abig collection of costumes from 
different regions of Anatolia and especially Bursa mountain 
villages.
Bursa's market is a convenient place for shopping as well as 
Karagöz Shop because nobody will interrupt you like in other 
tourist places. The prices are for sure better and reasonable 
then else where, and the shopkeepers are friendly.
Mr.Şinasi nowadays is running his shop, trying to keep the 
traditional handicrafts and he is supporetd by his son Uğur who is running the Travel business under the name
Karagöz again.
They combine the traditions of Turkey, the shop and touring 
and try to show the rich culture of Turkey to visitors and 
locals. Ask for the next village tour or take one specially for 
you to know better the Turkoman and Nomad life in the 
villages and meet those lovely people in their villages and let 
them present you all their hospitality. You will witness how 
difficult it is to make the richest collecion of handicrafts in 
Karagöz Antique Shop.
Want to buy original Karagöz Shadow Puppets? Click here>>>Click...

Click...

Rafet Çelikkol "The Founder Of Karagöz Antique Shop"

 
About Karagöz Antique Shop...

From Turkey Guide Book – ( Lonely Planet ) By Tom Brosnahan – Pat Yale
South of the sea of marmara-Bursa section...
Bursa is traditionally regarded as the birthplace of the Turkish Karagöz Shadow Puppet Theatre. The puppets -cut from camel hide, treated with oil to promote translucency, and brought to life with coloured paint –are manipulated behind a white cloth onto which their images are cast by a light behind them.Legend has it that one of the construction foremen working on Bursa’s Ulucami was a hunchback called Karagöz (black eye). He and his straight man Hacivat indulged in such humorous antics that the other workers abandoned their tasks to watch . This infuriated the sultan, who had the two miscreants put to death. Their comic routines (many of them bawdy) live on in the Karagöz Shadow Puppet Theatre, a Central Asian tradition brought to Bursa from where it spread throughout the Ottoman lands.
Once commonly performed in tea and coffee houses, salons and parks throughout the empire, the traditional Karagöz show has long since succumbed to the ravages of cinema, video and television.In the Eski Aynalı Carsı of Bursa’s Bedesten is a shop called Karagöz (224 2218727-2205350) open daily except Sunday, and run by a man named Sinasi Celikkol. He sells Turkish antiques and handicrafts, including the Karagöz Shadow Puppets. Sinasi Bey has led efforts to revive and perpetuate the Karagöz show, including the establishment of the Karagöz Sanat Evi (Karagöz Art House) and organisation of annual Karagöz Festival.

The Karagöz Sanat Evi, on the south side of Cekirge caddesi opposite the Karagöz Monument, hosts exhibits of local and regional arts and crafts, and organises Karagöz Shows.The Karagöz Festival, held in mid – november, brings Karagöz “hayali” (shadow puppeteers) , western puppeteers and marionette performers from Turkey and neighbouring countries to Bursa for five days of festivities and performances...

6th edition april 1999 (text from page 281)