Turkish artisan carves model of Türkiye’s 1st indigenous electric car Togg from Oltu stone

By Talha Koca

ERZURUM, Türkiye (AA) – A rosary master in eastern Türkiye used his skills and patience to carve a model of Togg, the country's first indigenous electric car, from Oltu stone, a precious black gemstone found in Erzurum province.

Suleyman Yavuz, a 49-year-old father of three from the Oltu district of Erzurum province, spent a month carving the 450-gram (0.9-pound) model car from Oltu stone.

The stone, which gives its name to "Oltu black," one of the colors of Togg, is processed into hand-made jewelry and prayer beads, and key chains after being mined.

The model Togg is on display at Yavuz's workplace in the OltuTasi Handicrafts Business Center.

Türkiye's first indigenous electric car Togg took to the road earlier this year after its ceremonial delivery to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Yavuz, who previously made model mosques and musical instruments from Oltu stone with his brothers, priced the Togg model at 50,000 TL (around $1,911).

Speaking to Anadolu, Yavuz said he wanted to introduce the unique semi-precious stone found only in the region to the country and the world via his work.

Noting that the people of the district were happy as one of the colors of the domestic car produced by Türkiye was Oltu black, Yavuz said: “When I saw the name of our district mentioned in our domestic vehicle, I wanted to make a model of it. Let it represent our district and represent the famous stone of our region.”

Yavuz added that he is planning to make smaller models of Togg so that more people can afford it.

“The most important feature is that it is the first model Togg made of Oltu stone,” he said, adding that “In the future, I plan to make models of Sultanahmet, Hagia Sophia, and Selimiye mosques from Oltu stone.”