Behzat Böke began carving wood at the age of eight and has practised the craft for more than half a century. From mosque minbars and mihrabs to relief portraits, sculpture and classic furniture, every piece is carved by hand.
In his workshop in İskenderun's industrial quarter, Behzat Böke has trained apprentices for decades. Most of his work is made for mosques: minbars, mihrabs, pulpits, muezzin galleries and kündekari doors. His reliefs, portraits and sculptures can be found across Türkiye and abroad.
In 2021 the Ministry of Trade named him “Türkiye's Ahi”. The February 2023 earthquake destroyed his home and workshop; within a month he had reopened the workshop and gone back to work.
Read his storySpeaking to DHA, Behzat Böke described the hard times facing classic furniture carving: few new apprentices, and cast imitations sold as hand-carved wood. He noted that much of the furniture seen in Turkish TV series is the work of carvers like him.
At the “Veterans of the Century of Türkiye” event at the Presidential Complex, Behzat Böke presented President Erdoğan with a portrait of his late mother, Tenzile Erdoğan, carved in linden wood over about 20 days. The President was visibly moved. Böke also recounted reopening his workshop within a month after the February 2023 earthquake destroyed his home and workshop.
In an interview with Atayurt, the master spoke about his wooden statues of Atatürk and Hacı Bektaş Veli, his decor and model work for the state palace of Azerbaijan, and his works in Sweden, Germany and the USA. The biggest problem, he said, is that young people are not entering the craft.
Contact the workshop about mosque woodwork, relief portraits, sculpture or carved furniture.
