A Unique coffee cup collection in Istanbul preserves the past

Thousands of coffee cups once commonly used in Turkiye homes are now part of a unique collection. The collection belongs to 74-year-old retired teacher Ahmet Salman. Salman has collected nearly 5,000 cups over the past 13 years, and he hopes to have his collection displayed in a museum so it can be preserved and passed on to future generations.

At the age of 74, Salman is a retired teacher whose passion for collecting began with a single coffee cup he bought at a flea market. That one cup eventually grew into a vast collection. A major turning point came in 2013. From that year onward, Salman began to see himself as a volunteer for Turkish coffee culture. Over time, his collection expanded beyond coffee cups to include various traditional drinking vessels and other related items.