French anthropologist Victor Dallant has been tirelessly scouring the city of Erzurum to find the children he photographed around 43 years ago. His quest to reconnect with these children has brought him back to Türkiye, retracing his steps to the exact locations where he captured their images.

In December 1980, Dallant, a father of two, embarked on a journey from Istanbul to Erzurum via the Eastern Express solely for the purpose of exploration. During his visit, he stumbled upon a neighborhood whose name he couldn't recall, where children were engaged in activities like skiing and playing ball. He seized the moment and captured their joyful expressions through his lens.

Now, driven by a curiosity to know the current status of those children, Dallant has returned from France to Erzurum. He has been wandering through the neighborhoods and streets he remembers, enquiring among the locals, with the help of an interpreter, if anyone recognizes the individuals captured in his old photographs.

Spending approximately a week in Erzurum, Dallant remains committed to extending his stay, eager to find and gift these individuals the images he took of them over four decades ago.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency (AA), Victor Dallant shared the details of his academic background in anthropology, mentioning his visit to Erzurum in 1980 during a trip that eventually led him to Kars.

Recalling the moment he captured the children at play in Erzurum, Dallant expressed: "I arrived in Erzurum on the Eastern Express. I love taking photographs. I saw a group of seven children having a great time in a neighborhood in Erzurum and captured those moments. Later, I went back to Paris and organized the photographs. My friends admired those pictures a lot."

Dallant explained how he engaged in conversation with the children when taking the photos but had limited Turkish vocabulary at the time. "I was able to speak very little Turkish while taking the photos because I was just starting to learn the language. Now, I have forgotten the Turkish I learned, so I can't speak it well. I took their photos while they were skiing and playing with a ball. I had a lot of fun and was happy when I took those pictures at the age of 7. I came from France to Erzurum to find those children I photographed," he reminisced.

Having attempted to locate these individuals through social media posts without success, Dallant encouraged anyone with information to contact him at dallant17@gmail.com.

Expressing his anticipation of reuniting with those individuals, Dallant shared: "When I find them, I want to thank them. I plan to give them a copy of the photo and ask what they are doing now. I want to conduct a brief interview – are they still together, engaging in activities, or have they traveled to other countries? I want to know what they are doing at this moment. Thanks to AA, if I find them, I will include them in my writing book. If anyone sees or remembers them, I would be grateful if they could contact me via email or phone. I already extend my heartfelt thanks to them. Friends, I am searching for you!"

While reviewing the photos on Cumhuriyet Avenue, Faruk Gürbüz, a passerby, expressed to Dallant the difficulty of locating the individuals from the old photographs.