Retiree turns wood into miniature landmarks

RİZE

A retiree in the northern province of Rize is breathing new life into discarded wood by creating detailed miniature models of mosques, traditional highland houses, the Maiden’s Tower and historic landmarks entirely by hand.

Sixty-two-year-old Halil İbrahim Topçu, who retired about 15 years ago, took up woodcraft as a hobby a decade ago and has since continued producing miniature works from a corner of his home.

Using recycled materials such as wooden skewers, lemon crates and old floorboards, Topçu carefully crafts his models with simple tools, including a utility knife, hand drill, cordless drill and glue.

Over the past 10 years, he has completed more than 50 handcrafted pieces, earning admiration from friends and visitors.

“I first started by making very small miniatures such as pickaxes and shovels,” Topçu told the state-run Anadolu Agency. “As I kept working, I enjoyed it more and began creating larger projects that I had designed in my mind.”

He said every completed piece inspires him to begin another.

“This work requires patience, but I truly enjoy it. I have never thought about giving it up,” he said. “Every time I finish a piece, it turns into something beautiful, and that encourages me to create a new one.”

His latest project is a miniature of Istanbul’s Maiden’s Tower, complete with a surrounding sea and an aquarium section filled with miniature fish.

Topçu noted that most of the materials he uses come from recycled wood and that he creates all of his works without a workshop, relying instead on basic equipment and manual craftsmanship.
Although many people have offered to buy his miniatures, he prefers to keep them at home, where they have become part of a personal hobby collection.