In December 1980, French anthropologist Victor Dallant visited eastern Türkiye’s Erzurum aboard the Eastern Express, capturing candid moments of children playing in the snow. Over four decades later, Dallant returned to the city to track down those children, and, to his joy, he succeeded in finding one of them, Ahmet Özmen.
“I came to Erzurum on the Eastern Express. I love photography, and when I saw children having fun in a neighborhood, I took those moments,” Dallant shared. “Later, in Paris, I developed the photos. My friends loved them. At the time, I could speak very little Turkish since I was beginning to learn the language. I couldn’t speak much, but I had a wonderful time capturing those children playing soccer and skiing.”
One of the children in the photos, 7-year-old Özmen, was located after Dallant’s search, and the two met at the same spot where the original photo was taken. “Meeting Ahmet 44 years later at the same place made me incredibly happy,” Dallant said.
Özmen, now 51 and working as an inspector at the Erzurum Mufti’s office, had no idea his childhood moments had been captured by Dallant. “I only found out about it when my friends informed me that Victor Dallant was looking for us. I was in that photo as one of the children. I was so happy and excited; it felt like I was reliving the past,” Özmen recalled. “Victor came from thousands of kilometers away to show us loyalty. I am grateful to him.”