BEIRUTSTATEofMIND: A portrait from Antep

A couple weeks back BEIRUTSTATEofMIND had the pleasure of visiting the Turkish city of Gaziantep - en route to some reporting in the Aleppo province of Syria. An hour and a half dolmuc (bus) journey from Kilis, from where we crossed into Syria, Gaziantep acquired the epithet "Gazi" (War Hero) in 1973 to commemorate the city's succesful defence against French troops eager to add Turkish lands to their holdings in Syria and Lebanon in 1920. Most Turks simply refer to the city as "Antep."

Antep is also renowned for its famous fistik (pistachio) - something which BEIRUTSTATEofMIND had the pleasure of enjoying again and again although having overdosed quite severely on Ulker's finest chocolate fistik on a visit to Diyarbakir last year that resulted in some quite severe hallucinations during an in-bus screening of "Battleship" - dubbed in Turkish, the main culinary revelation of the trip was found in the simple pleasures offered by tost.

Due to its proximity to Aleppo province Gaziantep and the surrounding area has witnessed an increasing influx of Syrian refugees. Purportedly as of April 15 2013 there were 31,000 refugees registered in Gaziantep, with a further 13,500 in Kilis, and 90,000 in Sanliurfa. This figure is a conservative estimate, as many Syrian citizens -who lack passports - smuggle themselves across the Turkish border and do not seek registration.

Antep provides home not only to civilian refugees, but Syrian charities active both in Turkey and in Aleppo province and members of the Syrian opposition - some stationed in the city permanently and others who frequent the city for short breaks before returning to their brigades across the border.

A particularly unexpected highlight of the trip came during a visit to the offices of a Syrian charity that had set up shop in in a third floor block in the Karagoz district of Gaziantep - where it was revealed by the charity's head that one of the first priorities upon moving into the facility has been to set up a Syrian hairdresser's.

BEIRUTSTATEofMIND could somewhat understand this example of the difficulties one faces enculturating in a new environment. Something is not quite right when it comes to hair-dressing culture in Antep. One Friday night 10 minutes shy of midnight, returning from a tost & efes mission BEIRUTSTATEofMIND passed by two hairdressers completely full. The clientele? 18-25 year-old men.Given the time and place the main question that came to mind was:

"Really? Now?"

Dismissing the sighting as a freak incident it was only later discovered that this late night barberry was in fact an established youth culture. BEIRUTSTATEofMIND couldn't help thinking that the below pictured mansdem would not have been frequenting such gatherings in his hey day.

Mansdem, Gaziantep, March 2013.

Fresh Tobacco, Gaziantep, March 2013.

We love bread, Gaziantep, March 2013.

Approximately 50% of male hair salons in Gaziantep display images of Brad Pitt in their shop-fronts, a similar
phenomenon can be found in Beirut. Gaziantep, March 2013.