Adana weaver fears disappearance of traditional hand-weaving craft

Ömer Erikli, a 50-year-old weaver in the Seyhan district of Adana, has spent 20 years practicing the traditional art of hand weaving. Working alone in his workshop in the Yenibey neighborhood, Erikli uses manual looms to transform threads provided by local homemakers into prayer rugs.

Erikli, who taught himself the craft after previously working in a slaughterhouse, expressed deep concern regarding the survival of the profession. He noted that the physical labor is demanding and the financial returns are insufficient to support apprentices or pass the skill down to his children. He believes that if he ceases his work, the traditional hand-weaving craft may disappear entirely from the Adana region.