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Sheesha Bowl Carvers of Tophane

Source: Skylife, no:138, October 1994
By: Aytekin Hatipoglu

Do you know anything about pipe bowls? If you do not, then try reading a new book entitled "What is Lüle?" Illustrated with a wealth of photographs of the loveliest examples of Turkish pipe bowls, pictures and engravings, this account will delight even non-smokers.

The conical wad of tömbeki tobacco is placed into the bowl or lüle of the sheesha, the traditional Turkish water pipe. Made of fired clay, the lüle is a chamber through which the smoke is emitted. As well as water pipes, the lüle in myriad of different forms is a feature of the çubuk, a pipe so long that the end rested on the ground a metre or more a way from the smoker. Then there are all the other creations of the pipe bowl carvers -teacups, jugs, sugar bowls and sherbet jugs- all objects into which Ottoman period craftsmen poured their skill.

"What is Lüle?" written by Prof. Erdinç Bakla edited by Yilmaz Uyar, and prepared by Antik AS or Disbank, investigates this obsolete art. Although Tophane ware was the best known of the genre, the book does not confine itself to this. There are photographs of the most beautiful examples of virtually every type of lüle, from the collections of Antik A.S., Ahmet Benli, Mesut Hakgüden, Garo Kürkman, Nurcan Artam and numerous museums.

We see the tools and equipment used to make them thanks to one of the last lüle makers, Ömer Güç, who donated his entire workshop to Istanbul Municipality. Measuring 31.5x24 cm, and printed on art paper, the 64-page book is in English, with the Turkish text appended. Captions are in both languages. All 2500 copies of this edition are numbered, so do not miss your copy.