Syrian Refugees in Turkey, Istanbul 2015

This photo essay documents the daily reality of Syrian refugees living in Istanbul — focusing especially on the lives of children forced to grow up too fast.

Abdulkader Hussein is just 13 years old. He doesn’t go to school. He can’t divide numbers or name a single chapter of Syria’s history. But he knows that Turkish people like spicy mussels with lemon — and that knowledge keeps his family alive. Every evening at 6pm, he walks through the streets of Istanbul with a tray of mussels prepared by his mother. He stays on the corner of Istiklal Avenue until sunrise, selling to tourists, drunks and passersby. With the money he makes, he helps pay the rent.

He is just one among millions. Over 2 million Syrians now live in Turkey, many in precarious conditions — working in the shadows, raising children in abandoned buildings, and navigating a life of exile where identity, education, and basic rights are often out of reach.

This series is not about numbers — it is about people. It is about childhoods interrupted, families fractured, and the silent resilience of those who, even after losing everything, find ways to survive. These photographs aim to give visibility to lives that often remain invisible.