Legendary Turkish photographer Ara Guler, famed for iconic images of Istanbul which captured almost three quarters of a century of the city's history, has died aged 90, state media said. Guler passed away after being rushed to hospital in Istanbul for emergency treatment for heart failure, state-run Anadolu news agency said.
He won fame with extraordinary images of Istanbul in black-and-white that admirers believe capture the soul of the city more than any other photographer. His work ranged from images of the city's best known mosques and landmarks, pictures of workers going about their daily lives to rare pictures of Istanbul covered in a blanket of snow. In a city that is now changing at a frenetic pace, Guler's work preserved facets of Istanbul that have now become irrevocably lost.
Celebrated Turkish writer and Nobel Literature Prize winner Orhan Pamuk famously used Guler's images in his book "Istanbul: Memories and the City" in which the smoky and misty photos provided the perfect accompaniment to the text. For many, the work of Guler was shot through with the spirit of huzun, the Turkish word for melancholy, which is seen as a particular Istanbul characteristic.
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