A boilermaker by profession, Kazancı Bedih was a local singer who was famous in traditional Şanlıurfa gatherings and became known throughout the country after appearing in director Yavuz Turgul’s successful 1996 film ‘Eşkiya’
Şanlıurfa province in southeastern Turkey has such a colorful and deep culture that any given person from Şanlıurfa is expected to be able to sing, make delicious dishes with any material provided and utter very authentic idioms when speaking, not to mention the sweetest dialect. Yet, the most famous cultural product of Şanlıurfa is the “uzun hava,” (literally “long air”) a slow and heavy tune with lyrics coming from the diwan tradition. In fact, the uzun hava is the sung form of the ghazal, the Turkish poetry genre resembling the English ode.
Şanlıurfa is famous for many talented ghazal singers, including Nuri Sesigüzel, İbrahim Tatlıses, Müslüm Gürses (all three adopted stage names including “ses,” which means “voice,” referring to the beauty of their voices) and Kazancı Bedih. These are the most prominent ones; however, there are at least a few potential singers in every neighborhood in Urfa, the old name of Şanlıurfa, which is used more than its official name in daily life.
Urfa is also known for the local happening named “sıra gecesi.” Literally “row night,” the sıra gecesi is a local gathering of male friends in order to entertain themselves on long winter nights. Some read books and tell tales, while others show their acting and singing skills.
