Suhail and Faiz are a married couple who traveled from Texas, USA to Turkey for their vacation and to celebrate Faiz’s birthday. They visited both Cappadocia and Istanbul. You can find the rest of the article “Birthday Photoshoot in Istanbul” under the photos.
We had a detailed program planned with Suhail for both days. On the first day, we embarked on a 6 hour tour of Istanbul, starting with the Sultanahmet Square and the Blue Mosque. We then visited Ahmet the 3rd Fountain and Topkapi Palace which offered a unique backdrop for our photographs. The palace has been home to sultans for nearly 400 years and boasts an extensive collection of art and historical treasures, including weapons, jewelry, manuscripts and more…
Hagia Sophia and Suleymaniye Mosques
We continued our tour with visits to the Hagia Sophia Mosque which showcases a blend of Byzantine and Islamic architectural elements. The next one was the Suleymaniye Mosque which symbolizes the Ottoman Empire’s power and influence in its golden age. We also visited Taht Istanbul in Süleymaniye. In this place Suhail and Faiz wore Ottoman costumes and ended the day as pasha and sultan.
On the second day we met at the Çıragan Palace Kempinski where the couple was staying in the afternoon. We then headed to the motorboat we rented for the birthday party. Then I took photographs with the stuning view of Istanbul on the Bosphorus. We enjoyed our dinner on the boat and lit sparklers on the bow when it got dark. Finally we sang the “happy birthday” song together with the boat crew. And celebrated with the birthday cake we prepared for Faiz.
I gave Faiz a copy of my dear friend Saffet Emre Tonguç’s book “Istanbul” which features my photographs, as a birthday gift. We are still in contact with dear Faiz and Suhail. I look forward to visiting them and meeting their children when I go to Texas.
To give you a glimpse of Suhail and Faiz’s Istanbul adventure I also prepared a short film which you can watch here:
Birthday Photoshoot in Istanbul by Ufuk Sarisen
