Turkish delight is known to have been produced in Turkey as early as the late 1700s, hence its name. The exact origin of these sweets is yet to be definitively determined; however, the word "lokum" comes from the Arabic "al-halkum". In the Arab world, Turkish delights are called "rāḥat al-ḥulqūm" (رَاحَة الْحُلْقُوم) which means "throat comfort". According to the Hacı Bekir company, Bekir Efendi, named Hacı Bekir after performing the Hajj, moved to Istanbul from his hometown Kastamonu and opened his confectionery shop in the district of Bahçekapı in 1777. He produced various kinds of candies and "lokums", later including a unique
Bekir Küçükay Bekir Küçükay Bekir Küçükay is a Turkish classical guitarist. He is one of the foremost guitarists in Turkey today. Küçükay was born in 1958 in Ankara. He started his musical life at age 9 on the mandolin. It was not until the age of 16, however, that he made his decision to devote his life to the guitar. Küçükay met Özer Ünal (a celebrated tenor sax player) in 1976 who was also at a turning point in his life and music. Under the influence of Ünal, Küçükay became interested in jazz and devoted himself to classical guitar. He graduated from