11.04.2026 14:31
Alper Temel became a phenomenon with his chestnut stall in Karaköy. Long queues formed in front of the stall, especially as Russian tourists flocked to it, with visitors coming more to take photos and videos than to shop. Temel described the interest by saying, "My aim is to show the spirit and beauty of Istanbul."
25-year-old Alper Temel, who runs a chestnut and corn stand with his brother at the Karaköy Pier in Fatih, has recently become a focal point for tourists on social media. Long queues formed by tourists in front of his stand stop to take photos and videos after shopping. Alper Temel stated that this job is a family business, saying, "My name is Alper, I am 25 years old. I have been doing this job for about 7 years. This is my father's profession. We learned this job by constantly coming to my father's side when we were little. After a while, I finished high school, went to the military, came back, and continued this job. My brother and I have been here for the last 7-8 years."
Temel drew attention to how he became popular on social media, saying, "This has actually been happening for 2 years. I wasn't using social media back then, but in the last 4-5 months, a Russian influencer filmed a video. Once that video spread, it was distributed to all countries. Generally, tourists coming to Istanbul started to see it. It progressed like this."
“MY AIM IS TO SHOW THE SPIRIT AND BEAUTY OF ISTANBUL” Temel emphasized that this intensity is an advertisement for Istanbul, stating, "Tourists come here to take photos and videos. They try to collect memories. My aim is to show the beautiful atmosphere here, the spirit and beauty of Istanbul. This situation is a bit tiring, but it becomes like an advertisement for Istanbul, not for myself."