ISTANBUL Mehmet Cymbal Ltd. Co.

Mehmet Tamdeger learned his art from Mikhail Zilcan, the grandson of Kerope Zilcan. In the 1950s, at the age of nine, Mehmet Tamdeger started to work for Mikhail Zilcan in the K. Zilcan factory in Istanbul. Mikhail Zilcan and Kirkor Kucukyan taught him every aspect of this ancient Turkish art, based on a history that stems back to the early 17th century. The Istanbul brand name was adopted in 1984 by a cymbal works established by two cymbalsmiths. At that time, they had over three decades of cymbal making experience. They named their company after the city that has been home to the epitome of high quality cymbals for many, many years: Istanbul. These cymbals were first exported to the U.S. in 1984, originally under the name Zildjiler, and soon afterwards as Istanbul. Both craftsmen signed each cymbal and many of these cymbals are now collectors items. After Agop Tomurcuk s unexpected death in July 1996, Mehmet decided to continue the production of cymbals under his own name, Istanbul Mehmet. A lot has changed since then, but his belief in the richness and character of a handmade cymbal will always remain. Machines dont have ears. That is why we continue to make our cymbals according to the ancient tradition - with an open eye towards the music that is being made now, and in the future.