From Istanbul to Qatar: Custom world cups crafted in Grand Bazaar
GOLD and silver trophies travel from Istanbul to Qatar, made by one of the master designers of the Grand Bazaar, Sabri Demirci, upon special orders for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Working on gold and silver jewelry design in the Grand Bazaar for about 35 years, Demirci creates works with unique designs, while experiencing the excitement of the world cup.
After five months of preliminary work in line with incoming orders, Demirci creates custom works, including trophies that have the symbols of Qatar embroidered on them, each containing 200 grams of 18-carat gold and 4.5 kilograms of silver. Delivering some of the gold and silver trophies to Qatar, Demirci continues to work hard for new orders after his highly acclaimed designs.
Demirci stated that the product designs were requested to “represent Qatar in the best way” and “to be completely original.”
“When they ask for pieces from us, we conduct long studies before making them. For example, the official logo of Qatar’s World Cup has an infinity sign, a soccer ball and hawk claws on the logo. Below the logo is the map of Qatar. The names of the stadiums and districts where the matches will be held are written on the map,” he said.
“We also used black marble on the bottom. The black marble also represents Qatar’s underground riches. Four horse figures carry the entire platform. The horses also represent strength, endurance and loyalty. For these symbols and special figures to be made, we have ceaselessly worked for five months. We built all the pieces on the hawk as it is very symbolic for Qatar. Getting the appearance of the first product is always a painful process. But in the end, the customers are very pleased with the final look,” he added.
Demirci also highlighted that the Grand Bazaar has a special place in the world in terms of design and that its designers and craftsmen always put their signatures on such special works.
Stating that he also sends handcrafted products to many parts of the world, Demirci said: “As we started this craft in the Grand Bazaar when we were children, we learned it from our masters. I started this trade when I was 11 years old. People generally prefer the Grand Bazaar for such products because generally, Europe sells fabricated products rather than handicrafts,” he said.