[CLSTR]
< Back to situation

[REVISION HISTORY]

Preservation of traditional Turkish crafts and heritage

Updated 7 times since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

What changed

2026-09-06 13:49 UTC → 2026-09-11 10:24 UTC · added removed

Efforts to preserve traditional Turkish crafts and archaeological legacies are being led by veteran practitioners and new entrepreneurs across various regions. In Eskişehir, jeweler Hüseyin Altay maintains the Sivrihisar cebesi, a 1,500 to 1,600-year-old gold weaving tradition. Altay notes this manual craftsmanship tradition, noting it remains “resistant to the influence of artificial intelligence and modern technology.” Other long-standing trades include Mehmet Erdek’s 51 years of excavation work in Çorum, Mehmet Başaran’s 50 years of wooden clog making in Gaziantep, and Ali Karakaranfil’s 70 years of tin plating in Tokat. In Manisa, 92-year-old Mehmet Ali Ağaçcı continues saddle making, while in Kilis, artisans Ahmet and Adil Özuslu maintain the handmade leather footwear craft of yemenicilik. Challenges regarding succession and modernization persist. In Mersin, Bahri Çelik performs grave digging, a demanding role his son, law student Yasin Çelik, assists with to fund his studies. Çelik fears the trade may be forgotten as youth seek more comfortable employment. Similarly, in Gaziantep, Mehmet Uçar, who has repaired bags and suitcases for 30 years, reports a significant struggle to find apprentices, noting that while they once employed ten during the summer, interest has dwindled. Conversely, some artisans are finding new avenues for survival. In Bursa, master saddler Melih Hızlıkurt is adapting to the digital age. By using a multilingual website, Hızlıkurt and his wife have has expanded his handmade animal harness and collar business to export products to at least 10 countries, ranging from China to Europe. countries via a multilingual website. Additionally, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism’s Living Heritage Festival has highlighted these arts in Kütahya and Bilecik. The festival showcased the intersection of tradition and modern design by decorating TOGG electric vehicles with traditional tile (çini) motifs, and featured demonstrations of endangered crafts such as ebru (paper marbling) by artist Büşra Sayi Çelik.

Versions

  1. 2026-09-11 10:24 UTC Preservation of traditional Turkish crafts and heritage
  2. 2026-09-06 13:49 UTC Preservation of traditional Turkish crafts and heritage
  3. 2026-09-06 08:05 UTC Preservation of traditional Turkish crafts and heritage
  4. 2026-09-03 12:06 UTC Preservation of traditional Turkish crafts and heritage
  5. 2026-09-01 09:27 UTC Preservation of traditional Turkish crafts and heritage
  6. 2026-09-01 08:22 UTC Preservation of traditional Turkish crafts and heritage
  7. 2026-08-29 10:04 UTC Preservation of traditional Turkish crafts and heritage
  8. 2026-08-21 09:30 UTC Preservation of traditional Turkish crafts and heritage

Only revisions since CLSTR began indexing content versions appear here. Select a version to see what changed compared to the one before it.