Thousands bid final farewell to renowned Istanbul-Armenian photographer Ara Guler

The funeral of famous Istanbul-Armenian photographer Ara Guler was held in Istanbul on October 20, Agos reports.

The farewell ceremony was held at the Armenian church in Istanbul’s Beyoglu district.

The ceremony was held under the sounds of Armenian duduk, Dele Yaman and Komitas.

The funeral was attended by thousands of Armenian community representatives, high-raking Turkish officials, fans and media representatives.

Ara Guler has passed away at the age of 90 on October 18. Guler died after being rushed to hospital for emergency treatment for heart failure.

Ara Guler was born in Istanbul on August 16, 1928.

Guler attended an Armenian school in Istanbul and began working as a photographer on Turkish newspaper Yeni.

His work included images of the city’s best known mosques and landmarks, pictures of workers going about their daily lives to rare pictures of Istanbul covered in a blanket of snow.

Fans liked to call Guler the “Eye of Istanbul” or an “Istanbul photographer”.