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CULTURAL HERITAGE / 176
Kutnu Embroidery
This special embroidery type cloth
is only done in the Gaziantep province
of Turkey. The kaftans used
to be made on special wooden
hand looms; and they were the
most important outfits for the sultans.
Also in Anatolia, all the
fancy clothes were made with kutnu
embroidery. Merchants took
these beautiful clothes and exported
them to many countries, even
the United States of America. The
kutnu is a silk ankle-length garment.
The main ingredients are
pure silk and cotton yarn. The
whole thing is made on a special
hand loom. One side of the cloth
is made of silk and the other side
is made of cotton. Even before the
art of dying, kutnu fabric was being
dyed with different paints. The
dying procedure took some time
and effort. The fabric has a unique
color and a pattern.
Aba Embroidery
This old embroidery type has been
around for centuries. It is mostly
made from bullock fur, camel fur,
horse fur, and wools of sheep and
goats by using a wooden hand loom.
Aba is a loose sleeveless outer
garment worn as traditional
dress by men. It has different names
depending on the yarn type,
the color, the patterns, the size,
and the vicinity which it is made
for.
Nowadays, aba is mostly sold as a
garment for tourists. And it is
embroidered by polyester yarn
which is dyed with artificial paints.
Making of Zurna (Clarion)
The zurna is a special Turkish woodwind
instrument which is made
from thick apricot tree. It is a
clarinet-like, single-reed instrument
with six finger holes, used
mainly in folk music. In Gaziantep,
it is mostly played with companionship
of a drum. Everywhere
in Turkey, it is played in open air
spaces because of its loud sound.
It requires a special breathing
technique. According to traditions,
only men are allowed to play
the instrument. It has to be specially
ordered in order to get one.
Its unique shape is given by hand.
The craftsman can only make 1 or
2 zurnas in one day.
CULTURAL HERITAGE / 177
Coppersmithing
Gaziantep copper-smithing dates
far back into history. Copper
items are produced as a complete
piece using no alloy or solder.
These copper items are used in
homes, in kitchens, and as decorative
items. Generally, there are
two techniques to engrave various
designs on the copper items. These
techniques are called “çakma”
and “çizme”. Gaziantep coppersmiths
use a third technique which
involves engraving with a small
hammer and a steel bodkin. This
method takes so much time and
effort. Sometimes, it might take
weeks or months to finish one
item.
The copper items like sahan (plate),
kazan (pot), sini (tray), fl›ra
kazan (big pot which is used to
make fl›ra), mahsere kazan›, teflt,
maflrapa, seferiye tas›, sat›l (bucket),
ibrik (ever), and etc. are still
used in many households. Gaziantep’s
talented coppersmiths have
made the transition very smoothly
from past to future. These copper
items attract many tourists with
their modern designs. Some of the
decorative items are copper plates,
trays, coffee pots, bowls, vases,
candy dishes, ashtrays, pafla
mangali, etc. These items still decorate
many homes.
Art of Nacre (mother of
pearl) Work
The art of mother of pearl was
first started in Syria. It was brought
to Gaziantep from Syria.
However, we can see that the motives
reflect Seljuk and Ottoman
cultures. The mother of pearl is
an organic-inorganic composite
material produced by some mollusks.
The artist who works with nacre
is called “sedefkâr”. The raw materials,
used in making of nacre
items, are seashells, walnut wood
and wire. There are several techniques
used in this artwork which
are k›vr›lma (twisting), dallanma
(branching), ba¤lanma (binding),
birbirini kesme (intersecting) and
dü¤ümleme (tying). Geometrical
designs, inspirational designs
from nature such as flower and
leaf designs, combinations of different
motives and designs can be
seen on these breathtaking artifacts.
These designs are embedded
on architectural structures, furnitures,
and the decoration of armaments.
Most of the current nacre
production is exported to Middle
Eastern Countries.