Sivrihisar cebesi: Preserving a 1,600-year-old gold weaving tradition

Jeweler Hüseyin Altay is working to preserve the Sivrihisar cebesi, a traditional gold weaving art in Eskişehir, Turkey, that dates back approximately 1,500 to 1,600 years to the Phrygian era.

Originally used as armor weaving for soldiers, this technique has evolved into a form of jewelry. The production process is entirely handmade, involving melting gold ingots into wire, followed by weaving, washing, combing, locking, polishing, and gilding. A single piece typically takes three to four days to complete.

Most pieces are crafted using 22-karat gold. Due to the intensive labor and material costs, prices for these items generally range between 600,000 and 1 million Turkish Liras, depending on the weight and specific model. Altay emphasizes that this manual craftsmanship remains resistant to the influence of artificial intelligence and modern technology.