Man revives historical Turkic weapons

AKUT Search and Rescue Association Erzurum representative Bünyamin Akbulut produces replicas of combat tools used by Turkic tribes and the Ottoman Empire in a workshop that he established at his home. Akbulut, who became interested in archery and horsemanship 12 years ago, decided to make exact replicas of historical munitions that he read about in history books.

Being a painter as well as a woodworker, he turned one of the rooms in his house into a workshop and began producing arrows, bows, spears, swords, shields and armor used by Turkic tribes and the Ottomans in wars. Akbulut, who promotes his artifacts on social media, has drawn the attention of both Turkish and international history enthusiasts. Soon after he began promoting his work, Akbulut began receiving orders for his replicas of arms and munitions from people in Turkey as well as Germany and Azerbaijan, and now he sells his handicrafts online.



Speaking to Anadolu Agency (AA), Akbulut claimed every young person in Turkey is interested in arrows, swords and horseback riding. He said that he began producing these munitions 12 years ago, as he was very interested in history and historical weapons. "I started learning what these munitions were made of and where I could get the materials I needed. My research is mainly based on history books. However, it is not possible to find the exact materials that were used back then," Akbulut said. Despite finding it difficult to find all the materials, he did not give up. As he had previously painted and produced many wooden handcrafts, he was able to replicate the munitions. "My work turned out to be successful, and people loved what I made. Now I produce replicas of all kinds of weapons on order. It is hard to find replicas of such weapons on the market. My work is exclusive, and I try to meet people's demands," Akbulut added.

Akbulut said the hardest thing for him is to find reference books on traditional Turkic combat arts. "It is hard to animate the history today, as there are not enough reference books on the subject. It is hard for me to dig into the books to find something helpful. When you look at the bows that were used by Turkic tribes and the Ottomans, you can clearly see that they were works of art. Our ancestors both fought and created an art form," he said.

During the interview, Akbulut also offered insights about his production process. He said: "I work hard on every little detail of my artwork just as our ancestors did." He said his work is very popular on social media, and he receives orders from other countries. "I send my work abroad, as I receive orders from all over the world. The demand is also high in Turkey. There are few people who make these replicas in Turkey. Considering the quality of my work, I can say that I am one of the best. I love what I do. It is something that requires labor. Creating something new makes me happy all the time," Akbulut said.