An aesthetic touch to Istanbul's nightlife: Zihni Bar founder Zihni Şardağ has passed away

Zihni Şardağ, one of the names that left a mark on Istanbul's bar and entertainment culture, passed away on December 12, 2024. Şardağ was not only a sculptor but also a visionary who brought a unique venue to Turkish nightlife.

WHO IS ZİHNİ ŞARDAĞ?

Zihni Şardağ had given his career a different direction by opening an art gallery on Valikonağı Street in Nişantaşı in 1979. However, this venue eventually turned into a meeting point where art and social life intersected, and it took the name "Zihni Bar," one of the symbols of Turkish bar culture.

Following the closure of the Park Hotel in the early 1980s, the 1917-built bar counter and other items brought from the hotel began to be exhibited inside Şardağ's art gallery. This step transformed the gallery into an art and entertainment venue, laying the groundwork for the birth of Zihni Bar, which became one of Nişantaşı's favorite addresses over time.

Zihni Bar, which took its name from its founder, gained an important place in Istanbul's nightlife. The venue, which also served in Kuruçeşme for a period after Nişantaşı, made a nostalgic fresh start by returning to its original location on Valikonağı Street last year.

Zihni Şardağ gave the venue not only his name but also his spirit, leaving indelible marks on the cultural memory of an era. Şardağ's passing has been recorded as a great loss for those who knew him and for the regulars of Istanbul's entertainment scene.