[REVISION HISTORY]

Preservation of traditional Turkish and regional crafts

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2026-10-06 12:30 UTC → 2026-10-10 08:08 UTC · added ~~removed~~

Efforts to preserve traditional Turkish crafts and archaeological legacies are being led by veteran practitioners and new entrepreneurs. In Eskişehir, jeweler Hüseyin Altay maintains the Sivrihisar cebesi gold weaving tradition, noting its resistance to modern technology. Other long-standing trades include Mehmet Erdek’s excavation work in Çorum, Mehmet Başaran’s wooden clog making in Gaziantep, and Ali Karakaranfil’s tin plating in Tokat. In Manisa, 92-year-old Mehmet Ali Ağaçcı continues saddle making, while in Kilis, artisans Ahmet and Adil Özuslu maintain yemenicilik leather footwear craft. Succession remains a critical challenge. In Mersin, Bahri Çelik fears grave digging may be forgotten as youth seek easier work. In Gaziantep, bag repairer Mehmet Uçar struggles to find apprentices. Similarly, in Burdur, 74-year-old master confectioner Orhan Leblebici notes that while he is passing his sweet-making business to his son, finding apprentices who are not solely focused on immediate earnings is difficult. In Samsun, 68-year-old Yakup Kunt operates an inherited grocery store using antique mechanical devices, such as a hand-cranked calculator and a 1960s mechanical scale, noting his children have not pursued the trade. New models of continuity and female participation are emerging. In Rize, Ahmet Turan, a visually impaired artisan, has spent nearly fifty years preserving motif weaving. ~~Having lost his sight to meningitis in 1961, Turan creates complex patterns by counting stitches with his fingertips, noting he can feel even the slightest deviation in a pattern.~~ In Düzköy, Nezaket Kara Duman has practiced traditional weaving for 45 ~~years using a loom inherited from her mother. Women are also entering industrial trades.~~ years. In Ankara’s Çubuk district, 18-year-old Fatma Sena Karaveli has worked as a welder for six years, ~~stating that professions should not be limited by gender.~~ while 70-year-old İsmail Demirci has practiced stove making and repair for approximately 50 years, adapting his craft to meet seasonal demand despite the rise of natural gas. Other preservation efforts include Yaşar Elbir’s handmade kilims, Zekiye Eröz’s cloth dolls, and İrfan Uğurlu’s wooden toys. In Deir ez-Zor, Syria, 19-year-old Hamad Yahya Casım is working to restore the local pottery industry.

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