Abis Rizvi made a Bollywood action film about tigers. Leanne Nasser insisted on traveling from Israel, even though her father was worried about her safety. Haykal Mousallem, a fitness trainer, came from Lebanon with his wife to ring in the new year. Khushi Shah was a designer whose clothes were favored by Indian celebrities. Also there to celebrate was Nawras Assaf, who owned a lounge and bar in Jordan.

These five people were among an estimated 39 victims killed early Sunday morning in a rampage by a gunman who entered a nightclub in Istanbul, on the shore of the Bosporus, and opened fire on a New Year’s Eve celebration.

Even after a year in which Turkey was pounded by a coup attempt, an assassination and multiple terrorist attacks, the Reina nightclub was still a buzzing oasis, frequented by Turks and foreigners, many of them from the Middle East or South Asia.

The patrons ranged widely in nationality and religion. What they tended to share was a zest for looking good and having fun, and the ability to afford an expensive evening on the town.