A flat in Cihangir owned by Aylin Uzun, carries the entire history of Istanbul’s metal scene on its shoulders. Uzun who moved to the flat in 1992 while studying sociology at Boğaziçi university was one of the most prominent members of the metal scene at the time. Her own band “Sıçan” was a regular act in the city’s metal venues including the famous nightclub Kemancı, which was only a few minutes walk from her flat. Due to its convenient location, it soon became a regular spot for all the metalheads congregating around the city’s nascent metal scene. For a while, the flat became something of a default location for international metal bands to gather for their afterparties.
In 2002 Sıçan disbanded due to members prioritising their new day jobs over their music careers. Uzun herself started work as an HR consultant for a multinational electronics company and relocated to a more comfortable house in Sarıyer shortly thereafter. Despite her new suburban lifestyle, she remained devoted to the scene. She turned her old residence into the world’s first-ever Museum of Metal. The museum was devoted entirely to Istanbul’s local scene. Along with piles of records from bands in various levels of success, it also contained an archive of recordings from fledgling musicians whose enthusiasm waned after their first demos, even poster art from high school students whose projects disbanded due to creative reasons before making it through the concept stage.
In 2017, Uzun’s employment offered her a promotion and an opportunity to relocate to Berlin. After a long period of indecision, Uzun finally made the call to hand out her entire collection to her friends. After organising one final roof party she emptied her apartment and moved abroad, never to return. Today you can find the Airbnb listing of this historic location as: “Cosy flat in expat-friendly location.”