Silent Tears
Photo-Essay | 2019

Ismat grew up in a small village, where his life quietly intertwined with Tugba’s. Their love was simple and steady, built through shared moments and unspoken dreams. But family tradition, and the promise of wealth, pushed Ismat toward a marriage he did not choose.

​

The weight of expectation broke him. In sorrow and frustration, he walked away from the village, from his family, and from Tugba, the centre of his young life.

​

Forty years have passed. Ismat never married. He carries Tugba’s memory like a faded photograph, still warm with her smile and the life they hoped for. In the silence of his old age, he wonders if she remembers him, or if time has carried their love into a place beyond recall.