Pediatrician Kader Apaydın crafts decorative gourd art after hospital shifts

Dr. Kader Apaydın, a pediatric specialist at Çarşamba State Hospital, spends her evenings crafting decorative items from gourds. After her hospital shifts, she travels approximately 50 kilometers to the Historical Bedestan Bazaar in the İlkadım district to assist her wife, Melahat Türkkan Apaydın, in their hobby and art workshop.

Apaydın, who has practiced wood and gourd work for four to five years, specializes in creating custom lighting and various decorative objects. The couple transitioned their childhood dream of working with accessories into a commercial venture following job losses during the pandemic.