A worker annealed metal over a fire at a traditional workshop in Istanbul on July 30, 2026 . First used by Ottoman military "mehter" bands to frighten and demoralise the enemy, cymbals were a useful tool for an empire on the warpath. But it would take the skill of an 17th-century Armenian alchemist called Avedis Zildjian to transform them into a percussion instrument whose exotic sound would first captivate Europe's classical composers and then shape the world of jazz. (Photo by Ozan KOSE / AFP via Getty Images)

Employees work on cymbals at a workshop in Istanbul on July 30, 2026. First used by Ottoman military "mehter" bands to frighten and demoralise the enemy, cymbals were a useful tool for an empire on the warpath. But it would take the skill of an 17th-century Armenian alchemist called Avedis Zildjian to transform them into a percussion instrument whose exotic sound would first captivate Europe's classical composers and then shape the world of jazz. (Photo by Ozan KOSE / AFP via Getty Images)

Hasan Seker, a 56-year-old who co-founded Bosphorus Cymbals, reacts next to a fire at a traditional workshop in Istanbul on July 30, 2026. First used by Ottoman military "mehter" bands to frighten and demoralise the enemy, cymbals were a useful tool for an empire on the warpath. But it would take the skill of an 17th-century Armenian alchemist called Avedis Zildjian to transform them into a percussion instrument whose exotic sound would first captivate Europe's classical composers and then shape the world of jazz. (Photo by Ozan KOSE / AFP via Getty Images)

Employees work on a cymbals at a workshop in Istanbul on July 30, 2026. First used by Ottoman military "mehter" bands to frighten and demoralise the enemy, cymbals were a useful tool for an empire on the warpath. But it would take the skill of an 17th-century Armenian alchemist called Avedis Zildjian to transform them into a percussion instrument whose exotic sound would first captivate Europe's classical composers and then shape the world of jazz. (Photo by Ozan KOSE / AFP via Getty Images)

Employees work on cymbals at a workshop in Istanbul on July 30, 2026. First used by Ottoman military "mehter" bands to frighten and demoralise the enemy, cymbals were a useful tool for an empire on the warpath. But it would take the skill of an 17th-century Armenian alchemist called Avedis Zildjian to transform them into a percussion instrument whose exotic sound would first captivate Europe's classical composers and then shape the world of jazz. (Photo by Ozan KOSE / AFP via Getty Images)

This photograph shows cymbals displayed on a wall at a workshop in Istanbul on July 30, 2026. First used by Ottoman military "mehter" bands to frighten and demoralise the enemy, cymbals were a useful tool for an empire on the warpath. But it would take the skill of an 17th-century Armenian alchemist called Avedis Zildjian to transform them into a percussion instrument whose exotic sound would first captivate Europe's classical composers and then shape the world of jazz. (Photo by Ozan KOSE / AFP via Getty Images)

Employees work on a cymbals at a workshop in Istanbul on July 30, 2026. First used by Ottoman military "mehter" bands to frighten and demoralise the enemy, cymbals were a useful tool for an empire on the warpath. But it would take the skill of an 17th-century Armenian alchemist called Avedis Zildjian to transform them into a percussion instrument whose exotic sound would first captivate Europe's classical composers and then shape the world of jazz. (Photo by Ozan KOSE / AFP via Getty Images)

Employees work on a cymbal at a workshop in Istanbul on July 30, 2026. First used by Ottoman military "mehter" bands to frighten and demoralise the enemy, cymbals were a useful tool for an empire on the warpath. But it would take the skill of an 17th-century Armenian alchemist called Avedis Zildjian to transform them into a percussion instrument whose exotic sound would first captivate Europe's classical composers and then shape the world of jazz. (Photo by Ozan KOSE / AFP via Getty Images)