Zahit Mungan, a 32-year-old kite artist, traveled to countless countries to represent Türkiye in the most popular international kite festivals. His kites depict the cultural fabric of Mardin, a southeastern Turkish province.
Mugan was born and raised in the historical part of the city known as "Old Mardin," the fairy-tale city of Mesopotamia, where the roofs of the houses and the streets are playgrounds for children, winds are quite suitable for kite flying and witnessing countless shooting stars with family at nights is a fun hobby for the residents.
"Nothing can replace the pleasure of flying kites from these roofs," shared Mungan, who discovered his passion for kites when he first saw a handmade kite flying in the clouds in his hometown.
However, the most extensive support for Mungan, who started flying kites at five and made his first kite at 14, came from his own family. Mungan's mother and siblings also help him sew and decorate since making giant-themed kites takes months.
As his passion for kites grew, he found information about it on the internet and started to make kites from parachute cloth with the sewing machine inherited from his grandfather. At the same time, his parents turned one room of the house into a workshop for him.
With meticulous details in his creations and the usage of particular fabrics instead of cotton, Mungan decided to take his products to the next level.
Speaking at the 40th "Weifang International Kite Festival"," the world's largest kite event in China, the capital of kites, Mungan said, "I had been dreaming of participating in this festival for years and I finally made it and flew my Atatürk, Papuduk and Melek Tavus kites that received a great attention and awards."
Mungan attributes his success to his different techniques, creative designs and software programs at a very early age. His kites have a unique feature called the patchwork technique that does not require printing or dyeing.
"When drones were uncommon, I used a mobile phone to the kite with a tool I developed to take aerial photos. Later, I attached a camera to the kite and exhibited my photographs in three cities to improve the quality. I used a machine to determine the nature of wind kilometers per hour according to the fluctuation of the branches of the trees and flags. Many of my friends and acquaintances call me and ask me about the weather," said Mungan.
Mugan aims to develop the interest of children in traditional games and reduce the time they spend in front of the screen with the training he provides. He also contributes to the promotion of the city with the Mardin Kite Festival, which creates a visual feast for participants from all over the world and has been held since 2016.
The festival, which was interrupted during the pandemic, is expected to resume this year.
