"Little Istanbul" in Sweeden

The replicas of historical buildings in Turkey such as Selimiye Mosque, Hagia Sophia and Dolmabahce Clock Tower are exhibited at the square of the town of Sala in Sweden. The town in which Swedish carpenter Jan-Erik Svennberg lives is now called "Little Istanbul". After a trip to Turkey, Svennberg became fascinated by the mosques he had seen in Istanbul, which have inspired him to make replicas of these buildings. Svennberg not only has made these constructions, but he also got interested in various aspects of Turkish cultural life, teaching himself some Turkish, reading stories about Turkish personalities and making paintings of a number of them. Among these there are the portraits of Ataturk, Celal Bayar, Menderes and Turgut Ozal. Also a fan of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Svennberg says he will soon start to make a portrait of Erdogan.