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 Kaya Bekir Kaya <nowiki></nowiki> Bekir Kaya (born 1977) is a Kurdish politician of the Party DBP. He is married to Asli Kaya and father of 2 children. Kaya studied at the faculty of Law at Dicle University and graduated from it in the year 1999. In Van he began to work as a lawyer in the year 2001. He was elected deputy chair of the Van Bar Association. In 2009, Kaya was elected as the mayor of Van with 53,5% of the votes. On the 7th June 2012 Kaya was arrested over allegations of “being a member of a terrorist organization”.