The Artisans of Hakart

HAKART (Hakart Copper & Brass Manufacturing Inc.) is an old-established family firm in Istanbul, Turkey. Originally founded in the early 1920’s in Nevsehir, Cappadocia, by Dervis Ali Doyran, the grandfather of the current managers, the business was moved to Istanbul by his son, Mustafa Doyran, in 1965.

Hakart produces a wide range of new copper and brass decorative items: housewares, garden furniture, table-ware, and copper kitchen-ware. All its products are handcrafted from solid copper and brass discs and plates by specialized artisans using traditional processes, such as hand-hammering and tin-plating.

Around 90 people are employed in the company, including the highly-skilled coppersmiths, who started as apprentices many years ago and now, with years of training and experience, are today’s master craftsmen. These artisans are the heart of Hakart -- many are following in the footsteps of their fathers (and their father’s fathers). The future of Harkart depends upon finding and training new apprentices who can become the artisans of tomorrow, a major challenge in today’s environment.