The Cebeci Han is like an oasis within the chaos of the Covered Bazaar. It's quite a large and cool courtyard, relatively quiet, where everybody looks pleased with his life. Representatives of the very many crafts that are peculiar to the bazaar have lined around this courtyard. Among the shops that sell copper items, carpets and kilims, sheets, coffee tables, gift items, belly dancers' costumes and etc., there is a moulding shop, a coffee house and a kebab house. And another one where strange but beautiful articles are exhibited: Propellers, steer-wheels, porthole lids, bells, clocks, lanterns... All these are exhibited in and scattered in front of the shop of Rıza Yüzbaşıoğlu. A table under the shadow of the trees is one of his various objects. The propeller and steering wheel of a boat have been dressed up with a circular glass on top and settled down at that corner of the Cebeci Han pretending to be a table. Since that interesting table is occupied by the tourists, Rıza Bey, with a regular serious look on his face and his cigar -like the pipe of Popeye- that never leaves his mouth, is sitting at another table. With the peace of mind of people who are occupied with a job that they like.
You can find objects of marine origin at other places but the shop of Rıza Yüzbaşıoğlu differs from them. The objects here are not "second hand". He has produced them with passion. He has picked them one by one from junk-shops and from shipyards where ships are taken apart. The most important part of his job is to provide different functions to these items that have lost their original functions, thus giving a new life to them. He transfers the sea into the homes with bits of the ships that have once struggled against the waves of the sea. Some of these items have been turned into "objects" while some have been able to keep their original identities. It seems as if Yüzbaşıoğlu has more affection for these original pieces. For instance he has left some brass and black porthole lids as they are. But most have been transferred into mirrors. They have different sorts of customers. Most of Rıza Bey's customers are Northern Europeans and Americans. But recently local clients also have joined his visitors. "Mostly young couples." he says, "They buy them as objects for their homes." He explains that some are people who want to eat the omelette and keep the

egg as well. They keep the glass of the porthole lid, but then ask for a mirror on the back side of the glass. Well, at least there are some among the Turks who are collectioners at heart, even those who intend to establish a ship objects museum. He imparts an anecdote concerning one of his loyal customers, a Swede. Well, we have already told that Rıza Bey is fond of his job and of the sea. He loves all those objects that he picks with his own hand one by one. But he loves some of them a bit more. Once he had a single porthole lid, which he liked a lot and didn't want to sell. This Swedish customer wanted to buy it. Rıza Bey told him that it's the only one of its kind and, to dissuade his customer from buying, asked for a high price. But the guy from the North has seen the "Made in Sweden" label and the date of 1951 on it. "Where did you find this?" he asked, "We don't have such items even in Sweden.. "So he paid

the money and bought the object without any further ado. "What could I do?" says Rıza Bey, "If he's interested in such items, it means he'll look after them..." Meaning, he's a good customer that respects labour and has affection for the sea. He now has another item in his shop that he doesn't want to part with. We were amazed when we heard the sound of it while we were in the middle of the courtyard. It's a ship bell taken from a Russian ship. It's a brassy, shiny, huge bell. Its sound takes you away to dreamlands, to Xanadu dreams. That's the largest bell in the shop, the most beautiful one, the one with the deepest sound. It's originally made of bronze but they couldn't discover what other elements have been included in its alloy. Those unknown elements must have be giving it that fascinating celestial sound. "They offered 400 USD, but I didn't sell it" says Rıza Bey smiling. Well, some day, some dedicated and loyal customer will come up to buy it, to provide it a new home on land. An old customer who shouldn't be offended, as Rıza Bey is now friends with most, a friendship built on mutual confidence and a common love for the sea.
He's from Giresun, a northern city by the Black Sea. But don't think that he owes his passion for the sea to this town as he was just one-year-old when he came to Istanbul with his family. His passion for the sea originates from Istanbul, especially from Yeşilkoy. During his early years, he has started to dive. He still dives, but in the old days he used to shoot fish which now he doesn't, he just watches them. He loves to watch the little colourful fish. "There were plenty of them in the old days," he says, "now they are so few." Luckily, the Saroz Bay is still rich in fish and that's where he dives most. He has recently sold his boat, but no problem! He goes diving on the boats of friends. "Saroz" he says, "is where the Aegean fish lay their eggs." Well, the fish can feel at ease as far as Rıza Bey is concerned, for he really doesn't shoot them any more. Still, he has no objection to eat some nicely fried ones with his cool rakı.