Traditional handicrafts continue to exist today as unique cultural heritages from the thousands of years of history of Anatolia. Traditional handicrafts, which were once the most popular professions and in which craftsmen both practiced their art and made it their profession, continue today, and many of them have been forgotten.
Calligraphy
Calligraphy is one of the most important traditional handicrafts for Islam. The word calligraphy, which means line in Arabic, is a branch of art in which beautiful writings are written with lines. Calligraphy, which has come down from the Ottoman period to the present day, is a branch of art that developed with the master-apprentice relationship. Calligraphy is known as an art of beautiful writing formed around Arabic letters, but here, not only the writings but also the written ones are beautiful. Special and beautiful content such as hadiths and verses of the Quran are written with calligraphy. In calligraphy, which is the art of writing in an aesthetic and beautiful way, materials such as ink, pen, paper and inkwell are used.
The two most important materials for calligraphy are pen and paper. In calligraphy, being special and high quality is important both for the longevity of the writings and for the easy movement of the pen while writing. The papers used in calligraphy are calligraphy notebooks, study and practice papers, sized papers, and burnt papers. ,
Ebru Art
Ebru art is a different art from other traditional arts with its unique material and application features. Ebru art, which has survived to the present day as one of the traditional Turkish handicrafts, is one of the most meaningful examples of Sufi culture. Ebru art has come down to the present day with the master-apprentice relationship, just like calligraphy. Ebru art masters are people who care about aesthetics and have high imagination. The materials used in ebru art; In addition to paper, water and soil paint; tragacanth, sea kadayıf, horsehair, rose branch and gall, which we are sure you will never forget after smelling it once. Apart from all the materials, paper has a very special place for this art. The most important material for ebru art is definitely paper. Because ebru is an art where paints meet imagination on water. Ebru is transferred to paper from the water it is performed in and exhibited that way. Therefore, the paper used in ebru art must definitely be a quality paper with high water absorbency. The papers used in ebru art are generally 80-90 or even 100 grams of highly absorbent paper.
Miniature Art
Miniature art is one of the most important and popular traditional arts of the Ottoman period. The visual transmission of the events that took place in that period to the present day has been made possible thanks to miniature art. Miniature art, which is a traditional art that almost everyone knows today, is generally called a very detailed and small-sized picture. All the events that may be important in the Ottoman period were depicted in miniature. Traditional handicrafts are art branches that require labor and devotion. The sultan’s enthronement ceremony, the circumcision ceremonies of the princes, marriage ceremonies, collective hunts, and victories achieved were all depicted in miniature, and the characteristics of the period have survived to the present day thanks to this. Miniature art is a very important traditional art branch in this respect. Although it is not as popular today as it used to be, miniature art has a great share in understanding our history and capturing the details of the period. Miniature art, like all traditional arts, requires patience and attention. The materials used in miniature art are generally parchment, ivory, and quills. Miniatures processed on objects such as parchment and ivory are an art where we can see the direct reflections of a society’s culture. Those who practice this art are called Nakkaş and miniature art is known as naş etmek. Many famous nakkaş have been trained from the Ottoman Empire to the present. The most important material used in miniature art is paper. Miniature papers are sized papers and generally elephant papers are frequently used.
Illumination Art,
Illumination is one of the Turkish decorative arts. In the art of illumination, which has a significant place among traditional arts, 18 and 22 carat crushed gold is used to decorate manuscripts such as books and tablets with various colors. Illumination art emerged with love, patience, pleasure and elegance. With the art of illumination, calligraphy panels, book pages, murakkas and even the upper parts of tughras are decorated with gold dust and paints. The artist who makes illumination is called “muzehhib” and the illuminated work is called “muzehheb”. The materials used in the art of illumination are murakkas, gold notebooks, gold dust, and gold leaf. Illumination papers are special papers and choosing the right paper is very important. If you are wondering how gold leaf is applied, you can also reach our article on that subject from here.
Traditional handicrafts It is one of the most meaningful documents that provides the most information about the cultural personality of the society and continues its vitality. Thanks to the traditional handicrafts that have deep traces of the life lived by the society at that time, much information has survived to the present day. These arts have developed with the master-apprentice relationship and the devotion of the artists. Today, people are looking for materials for traditional handicrafts that are performed by very rare masters. Traditional handicraft materials.
