A life dedicated to red: The story of Konya's famous Red Sultan

A woman in red... She is known as the 'woman in red' in Konya. The real story of Sultan Özcan, whom everyone regards as ‘insane’, is much different than what appears. In fact, she is a woman who loved very much but was abandoned because she had no children and was a victim of violence.

The story of the Red Sultan, who does not give up living and loving despite heartbreak, and who walks the streets of Konya, painted red every day. Sultan Özcan, who is now approaching 70 years old, has decorated every part of his life with red since he was 40 years old. Ms. Sultan explains the reason for her passion for red as follows.

“When I was in Hakkari, a Kurdish girl wore red. I loved it there very much. I took a sample and sewed it and it suited me very well. I haven't worn any make-up other than red for years. "I feel different, and frankly, I consider myself superior to everyone else."

Sultan Özcan loves her one-room house, which is painted red from the bed to the curtains, but she prefers to wander the streets. As soon as she comes to Kayalıpark, she drinks water from the Şerafettin Mosque fountain. According to her, “The water flowing here is very special”. Shopkeepers and all the people, everybody on the streets know her, but she keeps her conversations short and continues wandering.

Sultan, who does not accept money from anyone, sometimes shops for kitchen items and sometimes buys make-up items with the money she has. She explains her passion for make-up as follows: “I always buy red lipstick from the market. I used to buy it for 1 TL, now they don't even give it for 5. The lipsticks I bought are durable. I bought it in the winter and I still have it. "I only apply black eyeliner on my eyes, and if there is a wedding ceremony, I use blue eyeliner."

Red Sultan's past is full of disappointments. Sultan describes her childhood love. They got me engaged to someone else. But I had a lover. I broke up with my fiancée. I ran away and reached him. We loved each other very much, we lived together for 16 years. Due to his profession, we stayed in Hakkari and Giresun.

Sultan had to break up with her great love, whom she loved more than anything else, because they could not have children. She said that "I was really sad. If I had had a child, we wouldn't have divorced. If they had given us a trillion, we wouldn't have broken up. "After we divorced, he got married and had two sons."

Sultan was constantly subjected to violence by her husband. She describes these difficult times as follows: “When he got jealous and he beat me. Do you know how he got jealous? When I talked to a man, he got very jealous, and when I sat next to him, he hit me to the ground. He didn’t let me go to the city centre. It was like I was in prison for 8-10 years. I loved him so much, but I was smacked. I am in love with love. The Red Sultan also has something to say to the young people; “Let there be love. When there is no love, there will be trouble. I don't consider anyone who doesn't marry without love to be a man. "A man who is not in love comes and goes."

There is a lesson we have learned from this unique life story of Sultan. Don't stop loving, but don't tolerate anyone too much just because you love them.