Arts and Crafts
CERAMIC
Called by the phonetically identical Turkish word seramik, ceramic is a material produced by firing a non-metallic mineral and shaping it into a unique object - say a vase or a pot. Hard and heat-tolerant, these objects are as functional for everyday use as they are appealing to the eye. Common examples of ceramics are earthenware, porcelain, and tiles, all of which find themselves a place in the everyday life of a Turkish usta, the term used to refer to a master of a craft. Artistic pottery, including tableware, tiles, figurines, and other artifacts are now indispensable decorative and utilitarian items of Turkish homes, and many ateliers welcome visitors to experience for themselves how these unmatched beauties are produced. Archaeology also closely studies ceramic remnants of the past to better understand the cultures, technologies, and behaviors of our distant ancestors.
EVIL EYE BEADS
Generally, evil eye beads are in the shape of eyes. The eye is also called a bead. When viewed in this context, the eye is the person's window to the world, and the eye is considered the first point of origin of all kinds of thoughts, good and bad. For this reason, blue stones, which are believed to have absorbent properties, have been used since ancient times to protect against evil eyes. And it took its final form as today's various evil eye beads. Nowadays, many people keep evil eye beads in places they use frequently in their daily lives, both as a belief, tradition and as an ornament. While making evil eye beads, lead is poured into them. It is also said that this brings good luck.
HANDCRAFTS
Handcrafts have been around since man’s earliest days in accordance with the prevailing environmental conditions. The first examples were necessities such as protection or coverings. Handcrafts were later improved and adapted according to environmental conditions, eventually becoming "traditional" and accepted as an art that reflects the artistic sense, feelings and cultural characteristics of a society.
Traditional Turkish handcrafts form a rich mosaic by bringing together genuine values with the cultural heritage of the different civilizations which have passed through Anatolia over the millennia.
Traditional Turkish handcrafts include; carpet-making, rug-making, sumac, cloth-weaving, writing, tile-making, ceramics and pottery, embroidery, leather manufacture, musical instrument-making, masonry, copper work, basket-making, saddle-making, felt-making, weaving, woodwork, cart-making etc.
WEAVING
Weaving can be done with all kinds of cloth, and produces plaits, carpets, rugs and felt obtained by spinning thread, connecting the fibers together or by other methods.
Weaving is a handicraft which has been practiced in Anatolia for many years and considered as a mean of earning a livelihood.
Embroidery, a unique example of Turkish handicrafts, is not only used for decoration but also as a means of communication tool with the symbolism in its designs. Today, embroidery made with tools such as the crochet needle, needle, shuttle and hairpin designed either as a border or motif, and goes by different names according to the implement used and the technique. These include; needle, crochet needle, shuttle, hairpin, silk cocoon, wool, candle stick, bead and left-over cloth. Embroidery is generally seen in the provinces of Kastamonu, Konya, Elazığ, Bursa, Bitlis, Gaziantep, İzmir, Ankara, Bolu, Kahramanmaraş, Aydın, İçel, Tokat and Kütahya, although it is gradually losing importance and becoming restricted to trousseau chests.
MARBLING
The art of marbling on paper, or 'ebru' in Turkish, is a traditional decorative form employing special methods. The word 'ebru' comes from the Persian word 'ebr,' meaning 'cloud.' The word 'ebri' then evolved from this, assuming the meaning 'like a cloud' or 'cloudy,' and was assimilated into Turkish in the form 'ebru.' Marbling does actually give the impression of clouds. Another possible derivation of the word 'ebru' is from the Persian 'âb-rûy,' meaning 'face water.'
Although it is not known when and in which country the art of marbling was born, there is no doubt that it is a decorative art peculiar to Eastern countries. A number of Persian sources report that it first emerged in India. It was carried from India to Persia, and from there to the Ottomans. According to other sources, the art of marbling was born in the city of Bukhara in Turkistan, finding its way to the Ottomans by way of Persia. In the West, 'ebru' is known as 'Turkish paper.'