--- description: Find out why Haluk Levent is one of the 100 most influential people of 2023. title: Haluk Levent: The 100 Most Influential People of 2023 image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5f15ba42c262ab73/698a3bec096a94f0dc6ada7e/Haluk-Levent-time-100-2023.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 --- Apr 13, 2023 # Haluk Levent by Elif Shafak  ISTANBUL, TURKEY - SEPTEMBER 11: Haluk Levent performs at Eyup Sultan Culture and Art Center on September 11, 2021 in Istanbul, Turkey. (Photo by Nihal Demirci/Getty Images) ISTANBUL, TURKEY - SEPTEMBER 11: Haluk Levent performs at Eyup Sultan Culture and Art Center on September 11, 2021 in Istanbul, Turkey. (Photo by Nihal Demirci/Getty Images)Nihal Demirci—Getty Images “Ses yok.” No sound. Two words written on mounds of concrete after massive earthquakes reduced thousands of buildings to rubble in Turkey and Syria in February. If these words are the symbol of hopelessness, the name Haluk Levent is the symbol of hope. The rock star has been tirelessly doing charity work through his nonprofit [Ahbap](https://ahbap.org/ "undefined"). Following the disaster, when minutes meant the difference between life and death, and the Turkish government proved [terribly incompetent](https://time.com/6256540/erdogan-turkey-earthquake-response/ "undefined"), Ahbap was already working on the ground, saving lives. Being in the public eye in Turkey is incredibly hard, but Levent is much loved and widely trusted. He is principled. Transparent. He lists and publishes in detail where every donation goes and how many families receive help. Haluk Levent is a bridge builder, a healer, and an artist with a big heart. He not only inspires an entire society, but also shows how a single individual can make a difference in the face of catastrophic tragedies. In an increasingly atomized world, he has made people feel like they have a friend—someone who truly cares for them and hears their silenced voices. _Shafak is a novelist, most recently of_ The Island of Missing Trees Haluk Levent Is on the 2023 TIME 100 List ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Article","@id":"https://time.com/collections/100-most-influential-people-2023/6269467/haluk-levent/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/collections/100-most-influential-people-2023/6269467/haluk-levent/"},"headline":"Haluk Levent","datePublished":"2023-04-13T10:32:59.000Z","dateModified":"2026-07-21T07:22:41.499Z","description":"","url":"https://time.com/collections/100-most-influential-people-2023/6269467/haluk-levent/","keywords":["TIME 100","franchise","sponsorshipblock","TIME100 2023","T100ICONS2023"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5f15ba42c262ab73/698a3bec096a94f0dc6ada7e/Haluk-Levent-time-100-2023.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"TIME Staff","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/time-staff/"}],"creator":"TIME Staff","articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5f15ba42c262ab73/698a3bec096a94f0dc6ada7e/Haluk-Levent-time-100-2023.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/collections/100-most-influential-people-2023/6269467/haluk-levent/","name":"Haluk Levent"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"TIME100 | The 100 Most Influential People of 2023","description":"See all the people on Time's 2023 Time 100 list","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/P6RIsapV/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2023-04-13T10:30:00.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/P6RIsapV.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/collections/100-most-influential-people-2023/6269467/haluk-levent/","duration":"PT1M53S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/collections/100-most-influential-people-2023/6269467/haluk-levent/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```