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Buying a Saz or Baglama in Istanbul, Turkey. Saz instrument shops, Istanbul, Turkey. Copyright © 2022 Terence Carter / Grantourismo. All Rights Reserved.

Buying a Saz or Baglama in Istanbul, Turkey

I’ve played stringed musical instruments since I was old enough to hold a guitar. Almost everyone in my family studied music theory, piano, and at least one other stringed instrument. When we moved to the Middle East in 1998, I took a few of my favourite instruments with me. (Note from Editor (Lara): six freaking guitars!!!)

The music of the Middle East changed my outlook on music fundamentally. The sounds and scales were so different to Western music and the instruments so foreign to me that I felt immediately challenged. And it was wonderful! When I picked up the oud (the Arabic lute), I found playing a fretless instrument tricky at first – not to mention mastering the scales – but after I got the hang of it, I rarely picked up a guitar again.

When we first travelled around Turkey many years ago, I heard a guy playing a long, thin instrument at a bus station. It had three courses (rows) of strings on its elegant long neck and a body that was a beautiful, teardrop-shaped wooden bowl, made out of one piece of wood. The guy was playing it through an amplifier and it had a seductive, open-string drone. I was hooked. I asked him the name of instrument. “Saz,” he replied.

Back in Istanbul, I went to the street where everyone said the best instruments were sold, Galip Dede Caddesi. Walking around the city then (and now), I noticed that every third or fourth person was carrying a musical instrument of some persuasion, and this street appeared to be where everyone went to browse and buy.

Istanbul has some of the best live music in the world in my opinion – from jazz to saz (see our guide to the live music scene here) – and in those days, almost every shop on Galip Dede Caddesi was a musical instrument store, from Tünel square to halfway down the steep lane near Galata Tower. I found a shop on the street where the owner was busy finishing a saz, also known as a bağlama, and that’s where I bought my first saz/bağlama.

While both ‘saz’ and ‘bağlama’ are commonly-used terms in Turkey, ‘saz’ is actually a Persian word, and the instrument is played in Iran, as well as Turkey and other countries in the Middle East region. You’ll generally see three different sizes of the instrument, although there are about seven different sizes in total. Back then, I chose the most common ‘mid-length’ one, often specifically called – rather confusingly – the bağlama, the same name that defines the whole range of instruments under the one classification. Even more confusingly, there are long and short bağlamas.

With its roots in folk music rather than Turkish Classical music, the bağlama is a simple instrument to get a decent tone from if you already guitar player. It’s far easier to learn than the oud for someone used to instruments with frets, as the oud has none and has a very short neck, making the notes much closer together than a guitar. To be a good bağlama player, however, requires a different technique to guitar, the subtleties of which is best left to discovering after you’ve purchased one.

Once we returned to Dubai, where we were based at the time, I realized that every time I wanted to just enjoy myself playing an instrument, I picked up the bağlama, and every time I wanted to really challenge myself, I picked up the oud.

When we arrived in Istanbul two weeks ago, we were ten months into our yearlong grand tour and I’d been missing making music. Our holiday rental in Cape Town had a piano which I played daily, but that was a rarity. I was determined to pick up an instrument for the last couple of months of the trip. Or go insane.

So, the moment we arrived in Istanbul, I returned to Galip Dede Caddesi. Sadly, the street had become more gentrified, with more cafes and souvenir shops, and far fewer music stores (although there are still dozens), and far fewer craftsmen in them actually working on instruments.

I went into one shop which had a lot of bağlamas and the owner was nice enough to tune and play it for me, however, I noticed that the teardrop-shaped bowl or body of the bağlama was made of strips of wood rather than carved from a single piece of wood, and the finish of the instrument overall was rather sloppy. I asked him who the maker of the instrument was and he replied “Mohammed”. “Mohammed who?” I asked. “Just Mohammed,” he responded. Not a good sign. It seemed I had some research to do…

So here’s the dilemma. If you want a ‘tourist’ bağlama to hang on a wall, the really cheap ones are not that attractive — they’re very plain, and the pretty ones cost a fortune. If you’re a musician looking to buy a bağlama, the cheap tourist bağlamas that you’ll find in most of the shops on Galip Dede Caddesi are virtually unplayable. The bağlama I tried was most definitely a very playable instrument, but the fit and finish and anonymous lineage didn’t really inspire me. So I changed my approach to see if I could get a bağlama made my a known maker for around the same price as what I was quoted for the one on Galip Dede Caddesi.

As I had interviewed an oud maker in Turkey before, I knew that some oud-makers or luthiers also made the bağlama. Most luthiers see the bağlama as a more rudimentary instrument than the oud, but I knew that the highly regarded Dr. Cengiz Sarikus was a bağlama player and maker before he became highly regarded as a master luthier.

We went to the Doctor’s store and workshop (always a good sign when they’re in the one building) near Fatih and found the maestro and several gentlemen sitting around a table discussing designs for a custom oud, with their sketches laid out in front of them. Most oud players don’t buy off the shelf, which is why if you want to buy a good musical instrument in this region, it’s actually better to order it a couple of months before and pick it up when you arrive.

The maestro had a couple of bağlamas in a display cabinet that were finished: a simple one with a lovely bowl made from a beautiful piece of old mulberry wood, and a very ornate one that didn’t suit my needs or budget. He quickly tuned the first bağlama and played a song, singing along to his fluid playing. It was a classic folk song and soon all the other gents at the table joined in singing. Best sales pitch ever.

The bowl and top were of excellent quality, but the finish of the bağlama wasn’t. However, the sound and pitch were absolutely perfect. And soon, after a little bargaining, so was the price. After an hour of conversation, about bağlamas, the Doctor’s magnificent collection of instruments, mutual acquaintances made over music forums, and friends and relatives he had back in Australia that he thought we might know, I walked out with an additional piece of luggage, one that would make me (Editor’s note: and the Editor!) very happy during our last two months on the road.

Buying a Saz or Baglama in Istanbul, Turkey

There are other places in Istanbul where you can pick up a bağlama, including Unkapani IMC Blok 6, off Ataturk Bulvari, which has been recommended, but visiting Dr. Cengiz Sarikus at his workshop and store, Veysel Müzik Evi, and seeing his collection of classic instruments (many dating to the 1800s) made the purchase worth it, as was the satisfaction in seeing instruments still made by hand with wood aged on the premises. It’s pretty hard to beat.

Veysel Müzik Evi

Sefai Efendi Sok. 21, off Millet Cad.
(Sunay Oteli Yani) Haseki
0212 631 86 86
www.veyselmuzik.com

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About Terence Carter

Terence Carter is an editorial food and travel photographer and infrequent travel writer with a love of photographing people, places and plates of food. After living in the Middle East for a dozen years, he settled in South-East Asia a dozen years ago with his wife, travel and food writer and sometime magazine editor Lara Dunston.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Tania says

    February 22, 2011 at 7:40 am

    What is the price range for these good baglamas? I’m looking for one and have no idea.
    I´ve also wondered, why are the metal ones (that look like pots) so much more expensive? Often three times more. Are those also traditional or something newer?

    Tania (leaving Istanbul on sunday…)

  2. Terence Carter says

    February 22, 2011 at 9:35 am

    Tania, try US$300 upwards. Good luck!

  3. Nisha says

    August 24, 2013 at 4:30 am

    Oh Lovely! I also collect souvenirs from all over the world but never thought of a musical instrument as a souvenir! I think the reason is its size.

    Recently I wrote about some of the souvenirs I bought in Turkey. Read here http://www.lemonicks.com/Travel/2013/08/19/souvenir-shopping-in-turkey/

    Happy Travels.

  4. Lara Dunston says

    August 27, 2013 at 12:40 am

    Thanks for the link! I’ll check it out. Yes, I think you have to be a pretty dedicated musician to collect musical instruments :)

  5. Uygar says

    January 23, 2014 at 6:21 pm

    Dude,

    I am a native Turkish person, and I think you play great. My music instructor always tells us: “If you ever touch into the listeners’ hearts then you are playing good music…”. You are therefore on the right track…

    Best wishes.

  6. Terence Carter says

    January 23, 2014 at 8:43 pm

    Uygar – thanks so much. I definitely try to play with feeling to try and touch the listeners’ heart. Cheers!

  7. Ub says

    July 30, 2014 at 10:07 am

    I was there earlier this month, and was quoted 1200+ lira, and that’s for the striped ones :(

  8. Andrea says

    January 28, 2016 at 5:34 am

    Hi dear, thank for your info! I’m looking for a baglama but I’m not a musician, let’s say it can be my first instrument, i just fell in love with it after listening and talking to a guy on the street. I loved oud but now i think i prefer baglama (as it’s also much easier, right?)
    The guy told me to spend 100/200 euro, do you think that anything cheaper sounds bad for an inexperienced person like me?
    What are the instruments sold just for 50 liras (14 euro!) On your pics?
    Let me know, thanks

  9. Terence Carter says

    January 28, 2016 at 8:41 am

    Greetings Andrea,
    The baglama is indeed easier to get a decent sound out of if you’re looking to begin playing an instrument, it has frets and because of it’s open tuning makes a pleasing sound out of the box. Unfortunately you get what you pay for and the guy you spoke to is correct. ‘tourist’ class instruments are great for hanging on the wall, but a baglama made from an real instrument-maker is not just playable but infinitely better to hang on the wall because of the craftsmanship. The baglama I bought on that trip actually sounds better now than when I bought it. It still stays in tune beautifully too.
    I think it’s worth the money if you really want to give playing one a go. Good luck!
    Terence

  10. amartya says

    June 1, 2016 at 10:59 pm

    Thanks for your comment on the baglama being the instrument for chilling out and the oud being more challenging. I was passing thro Istanbul recently, and a big reason was to get an oud.. now mind you i have never played an oud, just seen them in Zanzibar. Having played guitar for several decades, and having grown up with eastern melodies around, i was tempted to try playing an oud. But it so happened i was already carrying two other instruments on this trip ( a charango and an Rwandan inanga) and so decided to go in for a baglama on account of it being easier to carry inflight ( with two other instruments).. so i went in a couple shops around the Galata Tower.. at one place ( Irfan’s shop, Uzturk Atatlier), there was a group of folks playing baglamas, and designing one, so i ended spending 3-4 hours in there, with several rounds of tea, and lessons in baglama playing, and i exited with a simple baglama ( short scale – octave + 2 notes), along with a pickup installed inside, for 400 TL. Irfan mentioned its a beginner’s instrument but a good one… well, being totally new to bag lamas i could not make out much difference, except the degree of sustain of the middle course of strings.. seems to me that the better baglamas had way better sustain, but at the same time i didn’t want to pay TL 800 or more then… now, after a month off playing the baglama, almost at a level of addiction, i wish i had ! Another reason to return to Istanbul i guess…cheers and thanks for a good writeup !

  11. Terence Carter says

    June 2, 2016 at 9:15 am

    Thanks. Sounds good, the short scale ones are definitely more travel-friendly than any oud. Plug that baglama into a tube amp like a Fender Twin or Champ, give it some reverb and it’s a pretty wild and beautiful sound.

    Thanks for your comment and happy playing!

  12. Michael says

    May 28, 2019 at 5:21 am

    Hi,

    actually I am in Istanbul again and I am looking forward to buy my first saz. Is anyone able to tell me, what would be the minimum price for a playable Baglama? And what’s the price range in the veysels music shop?

  13. Terence Carter says

    May 28, 2019 at 8:54 pm

    Hey Michael, I have not been to Istanbul in eight years, so I have no idea what the price is these days.

  14. Lara Dunston says

    July 3, 2019 at 6:58 pm

    Hello Michael

    If you do end up buying a baglama, we’d love to know what you paid for it, so we can update the post.

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Still looking for Christmas cooking inspo? Check o Still looking for Christmas cooking inspo? Check out our seafood recipe collection, especially if you celebrate Christmas on Christmas Eve with a fish focused meal in the Southern Italian tradition, transformed by Italian-Americans into the Feast of the Seven Fishes, or like Australians, who celebrate Christmas in the sweltering summer, feast on seafood for Christmas Day lunch, we’ve got lots of easy seafood recipes for you.

Our recipes include a classic prawn cocktail, blini with smoked salmon, a ceviche-style appetiser, and devilled eggs with caviar. We’ve also got recipes for fish soup, seafood pies and pastas, salmon tray bake, and crispy salmon with creamy mashed potatoes.

You’ll find the recipes here: https://grantourismotravels.com/seafood-recipes-for-christmas-eve-and-christmas-day-menus/
(Link in bio if you’re seeing this on IG)

Merry Christmas if you’re celebrating!! 

#christmas #christmasfood #seafood #fish #recipes #christmasrecipes #foodstagram #foodblogger #food #foodlover #igfood #picoftheday #igfood #igfoodie #cooking #foodblog #food #foodstagram #instafood #instafoodie #foodie #foodies #foodlover #foodpics #foodporn #foodphotography #foodwriter #foodblogger #grantourismo #grantourismotravels #xmas #merrychristmas #happychristmas
If you’re still looking for food inspo for Chris If you’re still looking for food inspo for Christmas Eve or Christmas Day meals, my smoked salmon ‘carpaccio’ recipe is one of dozens of recipes in this compilation of our best Christmas recipes (link below). 

The Christmas recipe compilation includes collections of our best Christmas breakfast recipes, best Christmas brunch recipes, best Christmas starter recipes, best Christmas cocktails, best Christmas dessert recipes, and homemade edible Christmas gifts and more.

My smoked salmon carpaccio recipe makes an easy elegant appetiser that’s made in minutes. If you’re having guests over, you can make the dish ahead by assembling the salmon, capers and pickled onions, and refrigerate it, then pour on the dressing just before serving. 

Provide toasted baguette slices and bowls of additional capers, pickles and dressing, so guests can customise their carpaccio. And open the bubbly!

You’ll find that recipe and many more Christmas recipes here: https://grantourismotravels.com/best-christmas-recipes/ (link in bio if you’re seeing this on IG)

Merry Christmas!! X

#christmas #christmasfood #recipes #christmasrecipes #foodstagram #salmon #smokedsalmon #foodblogger #food #foodlover #igfood #picoftheday #igfoodie #cooking #foodblog #food #foodstagram #instafood #instafoodie #foodie #foodies #foodlover #foodpics #foodporn #foodphotography #foodwriter #foodblogger #recipedeveloper #writingacookbook #grantourismo #grantourismotravels 
#xmas #merrychristmas #happychristmas
If you haven’t visited our site in a while, I sh If you haven’t visited our site in a while, I shared a collection of recipes for homemade edible Christmas gifts — for condiments, hot sauces, chilli oils, a whole array of pickles, spice blends, chilli salt, furakake seasoning, and spicy snacks, such as our Cambodian and Vietnamese roasted peanuts. 

I love giving homemade edibles as gifts as much as I love receiving them. Who wouldn’t appreciate jars filled with their favourite chilli oils, hot sauces, piquant pickles, and spicy peanuts that loved-ones have taken the time to make? 

Aside from the gesture and affordability of gifting homemade edibles, you’re minimising waste. You can use recycled jars or if buying new mason jars or clip-top Kilner jars, you know they’ll get repurposed.

No need for wrapping, just attach some Christmas baubles or tinsel to the lid. I used squares of Cambodian kramas (cotton scarves), which can be repurposed as napkins or drink coasters, and tied a ribbon or two around the lids, and attached last year’s Christmas tree decorations to some.

You’ll find the recipes here: https://grantourismotravels.com/homemade-edible-christmas-gifts/ (link in bio if you’re seeing this on IG)

Yes, that’s Pepper... every time there’s a camera around... 

#christmasgiftideas #ediblegifts ##christmasfoodgifts #foodgifts #giftideas #homemadegifts #christmasfood #ediblegiftideas #hotsauce #chillisauce #sriracha #pickles #homemadepickles #recipes #foodstagram #foodblogger #food #foodlover #igfood 
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This crab omelette is a decadent eggs dish that’ This crab omelette is a decadent eggs dish that’s perfect if you’re just back from the fish markets armed with luxurious fresh crab meat. It’s a little sweet, a little spicy, and very, very moreish.

Our crab omelette recipe was one of our 22 most popular egg recipes of 2022 on our website Grantourismo and it’s no surprise. It’s appeared more times than any other egg recipes on our annual round-ups of most popular recipes since Terence launched Weekend Eggs when we launched Grantourismo in 2010.

If you’re an eggs lover, do check out the recipe collection. It includes egg recipes from right around the world, from recipes for classic kopitiam eggs from Singapore and Malaysia and egg curries from India and Myanmar to all kinds of egg recipes from Thailand, Japan, Korea, China, Mexico, USA, Australia, UK, and Ireland.

And do browse our Weekend Eggs archives for further eggspiration (sorry). We have hundreds of egg recipes from the 13 year-old series of recipes for quintessential egg dishes from around the world, which we started on our 2010 year-long global grand tour focused on slow, local and experiential travel. 

We’re hoping 2023 will be the year we can finally publish the Weekend Eggs cookbook we’ve talked about for years based on that series. After we can find a publisher for the Cambodia cookbook of course... :( 

Recipe collection here (and proper link to Grantourismo in our bio):
https://grantourismotravels.com/22-most-popular-egg-recipes-of-2022-from-weekend-eggs/

If you cook the recipe and enjoy it please let us know — we love to hear from you — either in the comments at the end of the recipe or share a pic with us here.

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I’m late to share this, but a few days ago Angko I’m late to share this, but a few days ago Angkor Archaeological Park, home to stupendous Angkor Wat, pictured, celebrated 30 years of its UNESCO World Heritage listing. 

That’s as good an excuse as any to put this magnificent, sprawling archaeological site on your travel list this year.

While riverside Siem Reap, your base for exploring Angkor is bustling once more, there are still nowhere near the visitors of the last busy high season months of December-January 2018-2019 when there were 290,000 visitors. 

Last month there were just 55,000 visitors and December feels a little quieter. A tour guide friend said there were about 150 people at Angkor Wat for sunrise a few days ago.

If you’re looking for tips to visiting Angkor, Siem Reap and Cambodia, just ask us a question in the comments below or check Grantourismo as we’ve got loads of info on our site. Click through to the link in the bio and explore our Cambodia guide or search for ‘Angkor’. 

And please do let us know if you’re coming to Siem Reap. We’d love to see you here x

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Our soy ginger chicken recipe will make you sticky Our soy ginger chicken recipe will make you sticky, flavourful and succulent chicken thighs that are fantastic with steamed rice, Chinese greens or a salad, such as a Southeast Asian slaw. 

The chicken can be marinated for up to 24 hours before cooking, which ensures it’s packed with flavour, then it can be cooked on a barbecue or in a pan.

Terence’s soy ginger chicken recipe is one of our favourite recipes for a quick and easy meal. I love the sound of the sizzling thighs in the pan, and the warming aromas wafting through the apartment. 

It’s amazing how such flavourful juicy chicken thighs come from such a quick and easy recipe.

Recipe here (and proper link to Grantourismo in our bio): https://grantourismotravels.com/soy-ginger-chicken-recipe/

If you cook it and enjoy it please let us know — we love to hear from you — either here or in the comments at the end of the recipe on the site or share a pic with us x 

#recipe #recipes #chicken #soygingerchicken #asianfood #southeastasianfood #igfood #igfoodie #cooking #cookingtime #recipe #recipes #comfortfood #foodblog #food #foodstagram #healthyfood #instafood #healthy #instafoodie #foodie #foodies #foodlover #foodpics #foodporn #foodphotography #foodwriter #foodblogger #recipedeveloper #writingacookbook #grantourismo #grantourismotravels
Who can guess the ingredients and what we’re mak Who can guess the ingredients and what we’re making with my market haul from Psar Samaki in Siem Reap — all for a whopping 10,000 riel (US$2.50)?! 

Birds-eye chillies thrown in for free! They were on my list but the seller I spent most at (5,000 riel!) scooped up a handful and slipped them into my bag. She was my last stop and knew what I was making.

My Khmer is poor, even after all our years in Cambodia, as I don’t learn languages with the ease I did in my 20s, plus I’m mentally exhausted after researching and writing all day. I have a better vocabulary of Old and Middle Khmer than modern Khmer from studying the ancient inscriptions for the Cambodian culinary history component of our cookbook I’m writing.

So when one seller totalled my purchases I thought she said 5,000 riel but she handed back 4,500 riel! The sum total of two huge bunches of herbs and kaffir lime leaves was 500 riel.

Tip: if visiting Siem Reap, use Khmer riel for local shopping. We’ve mainly used riel since the pandemic started— rarely use US$ now as market sellers quote prices in riels, as do local shops and bakeries, and I tip tuk tuk drivers in riels. I find prices quoted in riels are lower.

Psar Samaki is cheaper than Psar Leu, which is cheaper than Psar Chas, as it’s a wholesale market, which means the produce is fresher. I see veggies arriving, piled high in the back of vehicles, with dirt still on them — as I did on this trip. 

The scent of a mountain of incredibly aromatic pineapples offloaded from the back of a dusty ute was so heady they smelt like they’d just been cut. More exotic European style veggies arrive by big trucks in boxes labelled in Vietnamese (from Dalat) and Mandarin (from China), such as beautiful snow-white cauliflower I spotted.

Note: the freshest produce is sold on the dirt road at the back of the market.

#cambodia #siemreap #foodwriter #foodblogger #foodphotography #igfood #foodstagram #instafood #instafoodie #foodie #instadaily #picoftheday #market #siemreapmarket #psarsamaki #marketfresh #vegetables #healthyfood #marketshopping #traveltips #foodtravel #culinarytravel #localtravel #cooking #cookingtime #curry #homemade #currypaste #grantourismotravels
My Vietnamese-ish meatballs and rice noodles recip My Vietnamese-ish meatballs and rice noodles recipe makes tender meatballs doused in a delightfully tangy-sweet sauce, sprinkled with crispy fried shallots, with carrot-daikon, crunchy cucumber and fragrant herbs. 

The dish is inspired by bún chả, a Hanoi specialty, but it’s not bún chả. No matter what Google or food bloggers tell you. Names are important, especially when cooking and writing about cuisines not our own.

This is an authentic bún chả recipe:  https://grantourismotravels.com/vietnamese-bun-cha-recipe/ You’ll need to get the outdoor BBQ/grill going to do proper smoky bún chả meat patties (not meatballs).

My meatball noodle bowl is perhaps more closely related to dishes such as a Central Vietnam cousin bún thịt nướng (pork skewers on rice noodles in a bowl) and a Southern relation bún bò Nam Bộ (beef atop rice noodles, sprinkled with fried shallots (Nam Bộ=Southern Vietnam) though neither include meatballs. 

Xíu mại= meatballs although they’re different in flavour to mine, which taste more like bún chả patties. Xíu mại remind me of Southern Italian meatballs in tomato sauce.

In Vietnam’s Mekong Delta, home to millions of Khmer, there’s bánh tằm xíu mại. Bánh tằm=silk worm noodles. They’re topped with meatballs, cucumber, daikon, carrot, fresh herbs, crispy fried onions. Difference: cold noodles doused in a sauce of coconut cream and fish sauce. 

Remove the meatballs, add chopped fried spring rolls and it’s Cambodia’s banh sung, which is a rice noodle salad similar to Vietnam’s bún chả giò :) 

Recipe here: (link in bio) https://grantourismotravels.com/vietnamese-meatballs-and-rice-noodles-recipe/

For more on these culinary connections you’ll have to wait for our Cambodian cookbook and culinary history. In a hurry to know? Come support the project on Patreon. (link in bio)

#recipe #recipes #vietnamesefood #cambodianfood #asianfood #southeastasianfood #ricenoodles #rice #noodlebowl #meatballs #igfood #igfoodie #foodblog #food #foodstagram #instafood  #instafoodie #foodie #foodies #foodlover #foodpics #foodporn #foodphotography #foodwriter #foodblogger #writingacookbook #writingacambodiancookbook #patreon #patreoncreator #grantourismo
It is pure coincidence that Pepper’s eye colour It is pure coincidence that Pepper’s eye colour matches the furnishings of our rented apartment. So, no, I did not colour-coordinate the interiors to match our cat’s eyes. 

I keep getting DMs from pet clothing brands wanting to “partner” with Pepper and send her free cat clothes and cat accessories. Although she did wear a kerchief for a few years in her more adventurous fashion-forward teenage years, I cannot see this cat in clothes now, can you? 

#pepper #blackcat #blackcats #blackcatsofinstagram #blackcatsrule #blackcatsmatter #cat #cats #catsofinstagram #catstagram #catlover #catlovers #catlove #catoftheday #catphoto #catpic #catpics #cambodiancat #cambodiancatsofinstagram #catlife #catloversclub #catoftheday #catgram #catstagram #cats_of_instagram #catphotography #catsofig #catsoftheworld #catsofinsta #cats🐱 #siemreap #cambodia

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