When the saddle-making profession has succumbed to time, the last two masters continue their profession with alternative products such as bags and ornaments. In Mardin, which is one of the important centers of handicrafts, when saddle-making or palan making fell out of time, dozens of masters were unemployed.
According to the news of Ahmet Kanbal from the Mesopotamia Agency, when the cargo transportation business with donkeys and mules was finished, saddle masters turned to alternative works. Only 2 known saddle masters remained in Mardin.
The remaining masters continue their livelihood and profession by producing saddles needed by donkeys and mules used to collect garbage in rural areas and Mardin’s narrow alleys. Masters who want to continue their craft are looking for apprentices.
It wants fine craftsmanship Fikret Doğan, who has been a saddle maker in Artuklu district for 27 years, learned the profession from an Armenian master. They use reed, rugs and felt in saddle making, felt is imported from Urfa, reed is specially imported from Bitlis, and rugs are imported from Adana, Batman and Urfa.
Expressing that the key of a saddle is a cane, Doğan says that the cane should be soft and explains why:
It is for the comfort of the animal. When he walks when the load is loaded, this is pressed like a sponge. It does not put pressure on the back of the animal when 200 kg is loaded. It consists of two stages. It should be millimeters so that the animal is in balance.
Expressing that their work is fine workmanship, Doğan says that before making a saddle, they take the measurements of the animal for which they will prepare a saddle, just like a person goes to a tailor and measure.
Uncle Şeyhmus, who continued this job for a while after his master migrated, later worked at the Provincial Directorate of Agriculture. He continued his pottery business in the small workshop he opened right after his retirement. Uncle Şeyhmus says that the people he took with him as apprentices migrated from Mardin to other provinces after learning about the job:
Seyhmus Kaynaka, 80, has been shaping clay soil for 72 years. Uncle Şeyhmus, who started working as an apprentice with an Armenian master at the age of 8, said, “Those who teach the job either leave or leave. This profession will die after me, I am very sorry ”he sighs.
Mehmet Selim Gökçen, who has been a master of plasterboard and suspended ceilings for 20 years, carries the remnants of civilizations that have left a mark on wood with the art of “Wood Etching” he has made in Mardin for 10 years. Gökçen said, “Many civilizations that ruled here have left ruins. “I am promoting this culture by processing this,” he says.
It is possible to find a workshop on every street in Mardin, which has been the cradle of many civilizations.
Craftsmen, arts and craftsmen are living a culture and a tradition in the workshops located between narrow streets that curl into another street at every step. One of them is Mehmet Selim Gökçen, 65 years old.
‘Incineration is separate, etching is separate’ Mehmet Selim Gökçen, who opened the doors of his workshop to Sputnik, says that his work is known as “wood burning” but this is “wood etching” and explains the reason as follows:
“The Ottomans called this technique branding. When I was at an exhibition in Istanbul in 2014, the Ministry of Culture official told me that it was branding. It is true, incineration and separate etching are separate. Burning, flaming, you are not dominated, but you can completely dominate the branding. Etching is leaving a mark on the wood. The Ottomans used it in the art of calligraphy. There was no expense, it is not paint. Writing and painting with a heated piece of iron. “ ‘I am not the inventor, I learned and I am doing it’ Saying that he first heard about the branding in his childhood, Gökçen said, “Our grandfather, our grandfather, was telling us ‘I will mountains you’ when we were misbehaving. It was the first time I heard about it. The art of etching belongs to Mesopotamia, although I am not sure. Of course, there is no information document about this, but it is likely to be specific to this in terms of usage. “I am not the inventor of this art, I learned it and I do it.”
Traces of civilizations in the workshop It is possible to find many historical items in Selim Usta’s workshop, who mostly carries figures from Mesopotamia.
Stating that his aim is to introduce this culture, Gökçen said, “Shahmaran, Ahura Mazda, Euphrates Tigris Dragon, Hz. Jesus and the Prophet. I draw the Virgin Mary and historical characters. Many civilizations that reigned here left various remains. I am processing these figures to introduce this. I want to introduce this culture to those who come here. “Just as branding leaves a mark, I want to leave a mark for future generations with these works.”
‘My door is open to anyone who wants to learn’ Saying that he learned the art of branding through his own efforts and did not have a master, Gökçen says, “My door is open to anyone who wants to learn” and adds:
“No one in this region uses this technique other than me. I have no masters in both stone and etching. I did not learn this art from anyone. This is my talent and I discovered it. If I did it without learning from anyone, I think anyone can do it. When doing a job, you will decide first and will not give up. The first time I made it, I broke at least 10 pictures and threw them on the stove, but I didn’t give up. I teach and teach to anyone who wants. I did not request money from anyone. Because I think art should become widespread. “
In the historical building built on the ruins of the 700-year-old Muzafferiye Madrasah in the Ottoman period in Mardin, the old weaving types of Mardin, Siirt and Şırnak regions come to life with the same methods.
The old forgotten weaving types of the Southeast, which has been a cradle to different civilizations for thousands of years, come to life in the historical structure that has been transformed into the Mardin Maturation Institute.
On the ruins of the 700-year-old Muzafferiye Madrasah on the skirts of the Mardin Castle, the historical building, which was completed in 2 blocks as Mekteb-i Rüştiye on May 11, 1892, served as secondary school, Mardin High School, Commercial High School, Girls ‘Institute, Girls’ Vocational High School and primary school respectively. gave.
The textile culture of the region is kept alive in the historical building, which has been restored by the Governorship and has been serving as the Mardin Maturation Institute since 2010 and where the arts that are about to be forgotten are kept alive.
In the workshop, which was established after the research team within the Institute researched the weaving culture in Mardin, Siirt and Şırnak regions, master instructors weave products such as rugs, blankets, runners, sofa covers, prayer rugs and saddlebags.
“We bought our first products” Metin Değer, Director of the Mardin Maturation Institute, told Anadolu Agency that the building, which was built on the ruins of the 700-year-old madrasah during the reign of Abdülhamit II, turned into an institute 11 years ago with the opening of Emine Erdoğan, the wife of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Stating that the studies have been continuing in the fields of research, promotion and education until now, Değer said that they researched, designed, produced and promoted all cultural values of Mardin, Şırnak and Siirt regions.
Noting that they made their productions by researching the weaving culture of the region, Değer continued as follows:
“We especially produce jirki rugs, shawl sheepskin weaving, blankets made from mohair wool of Siirt, runners and prayer rugs with traditional methods and looms. We started weaving on the ground loom that we call tevn belonging to Mardin. We bought our first products. we saw that there are products. “
Stating that their work in this direction will continue, Değer drew attention to the fact that there are products based on different dates such as 300, 400 and 500 years in the institute.
Value, “We are excited to connect with history. We are proud and honored to reconnect with our past, our culture, our tradition and transfer this culture to the future.” used the expressions.
“We create the digital identity of the products” Stating that each product is processed authentically and uniquely, they can exhibit them in domestic and international exhibitions and fairs, Değer said, “At the same time, we record it in the archive book and keep a sample of it and transfer it to the next generation. Each product has its own identity. We also create the digital identity of these products. . ” he spoke.
Weaving in the Seljuk period Master instructor Gülhayat Acabey, who handles the weaving type of Siirt, stated that flat weavings in and around Siirt have a rich motif density.
Acabey pointed out that there are generally ram’s neck, hand on waist, abundance, foot, hand, finger, comb, star, waterway, bow, hair tie and hook motifs, “We make Siirt weaving made from goat wool by mohair during the Seljuk period. We process saddlebags and blankets. ” said.
Master instructor Canan Narcıoğlu, who handles the weaving type of Şırnak, said that they are making city-specific weavings, especially jirki rug, which is an important cultural heritage in the region.
Narcıoğlu stated that nearly 50 motifs such as dovetail, hook, scorpion, gulsaria, shimkubik, shamari, koçboynuzu, earring, camel foot, waterway and budgerigar are used in rugs, and that they try to keep this culture alive .
Birgül Kaya, who makes the type of tevn weaving belonging to Mardin, said that this handicraft, which was carried out on looms set up in houses with primitive methods in the previous periods, was woven with great devotion by women on looms called tevn.
Stating that it has been produced by a few families in recent years, especially for daily use and dowry, Kaya said:
“A type of weaving made on the ground loom. It is very old, mostly made in the nomadic period. We try to adapt it to today and keep it alive. This weaving has been done in our region for centuries.
Since 1983, in the middle of the old Mardin Bazaar, we see a small, two-storey soap shop named “Mehmet Dede”. I’m done with what comes in, an intense blend of almond and tar scents welcomes you. Because the content of the soaps it produces is natural, this shop has been selling to many regions both in Turkey and abroad for years. We talked with Mehmet Dede, whose tar-juniper soap produced by his grandfather, patented by Ankara University, about his craft, his patented soap and his lectures on soap at the university.
Mehmet Dede’s grandfather, the third generation representative of the soap craft in the family, was also named Mehmet. He took over the soap business from his grandparents and still produces soaps with his grandfather’s formula without using chemicals. They never used chemicals such as acid, caustic, sulfuric acid, paint, soap essence, which are widely used in soap making today. The difference of Mehmet Dede’s soaps also emerges at this point; they make soaps from acorn ash.
When you walk through the Old Mardin Bazaar, you will see dozens of soap varieties and soap shops. Saying that such soaps are not in the Mardin culture, Dede said, “Other soapy friends say that there are 120 types of soaps in our culture. No such thing. “We finished everything in Mardin, like tar, we produce soap from them,” he said.
‘WE HAVE REVIVED THE FORGOTTEN CULTURE AGAIN’ Mehmet Dede says that producing soap in the family is a craft that has been going on for 130 years and for three generations. In 1883, in the Zınnar region of Mardin, Mehmet Dede’s grandfather put the bıttım bıttım, which will be salted in the annual harvest, into the water and keep it in the drums to loosen the bıttım shell and turn it into a food and snack condition. After the Bıttımlar is kept waiting, a layer of oil appears on the water, soap is made from this oil and used for its own needs. Since the Zınnar region is a suitable region for bıttım trees, the amount of product obtained at harvest time would be high. After meeting their soap needs, the family decided to open a shop in the Old Mardin Bazaar and sell the remaining soap.
Saying that the shop left by his grandfather is still standing, Dede said: “The name of the shop is ‘Abdulkadir Sabuni’. After the shop was opened, my grandfather started to produce soaps from almond and tincture (creswan). Later, my father took over and sold soap for his lifetime. As the industry developed in the late 1970s, the demand for my father’s soap shop declined. We used to produce soap with the raw material that came from my grandfather’s shop, and we still continue to do so. In 1996, Mardin was declared a tourism city. The deputy governor toured local artisans and supported us to revitalize this sector. We revived this forgotten culture. If you visit Mardin Bazaar right now, there is soap every step of the way. However, there was no soap player except us before. “
TAKES THE RAW MATERIAL FROM DENIZLI AND CONTINUES TO PRODUCE IN MARDIN Saying that his children do not continue their profession and they choose to read different things, Dede stated that he had eleven nephews, that he transferred this craft to them and that they are currently working and producing together. Dede says there are 6 types of soap unique to Mardin. The most important soap that he sells a lot is the soap I bıttım. He tells that Bıttım trees are unique to the city since they are abundant in the Mardin region.
Stating that it was difficult to find the raw materials of some soaps he produced in Mardin, Dede said that they produced soap according to the amount produced after the annual harvest. They can no longer obtain the raw material of the tar-juniper soap patented by Ankara University from Mardin. He says that the reason for this is that the trees in the region have lost their former productivity. They buy their raw materials from Denizli and continue their production in Mardin.
WE PRODUCE WITH OUR FORMULA BASED ON CENTURIES AGO ‘ Dede explains that soap making is very difficult since there is no factory in the area. With the soaps produced by Dede, they got positive results for people’s skin problems that cannot be treated with medication. Saying that he was doing his job more fondly after many positive feedbacks, Dede said, “We try to keep this craft alive as much as we can. We produce with our own formula dating back centuries. These soaps do not harm water or nature, “he said.
240 TO THE PHARMACIES, FRANKFURT AND COLOGNE Referring to the characteristics of the black soap they produce, Dede said, “My grandfather and father would not sell this soap with money. It was something like a foundation for us. It would fix problems that did not go away with medication. They used to come to my grandfather when I was little. One day I would never forget one shepherd had scabies and his skin was sore. He came to my grandfather. This soap I’m talking about is black and has a heavy scent. Its foam is like yogurt. “After applying the soap and waiting until the next day, we would see that wound healed.”
Mardin Metropolitan Municipality continues to work at full speed for the application to be made to the UNESCO Creative Cities Network with the theme of “crafts and folk arts” in order to introduce the historical and cultural texture of the city to the world.
Mardin Metropolitan Municipality continues its efforts to apply to the UNESCO Creative Cities Network with the theme of “crafts and folk arts” in order to introduce the historical and cultural texture of the city to the world. We came together with city representatives who became a member of their network.
Kütahya Municipality Survey Project Manager Mehmet Black, Kırşehir Municipality Culture and Social Affairs Manager Tuncay Polat, İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality Culture Department Coordinator Hüseyin Sert, Hatay Metropolitan Municipality Hatay UNESCO Representative Onur Bal participated in the meeting and shared experiences regarding the UNESCO Creative Cities Network, Mardin ‘ In the process of nomination to the UNESCO Creative Cities Network, the Head of the Culture, Tourism and Social Affairs Department Abdurrahman Şahin stated that they held the meeting online due to the new type of coronavirus measures and shared his wish that this meeting will be held face to face.
Suphi Yerlihindi from Mardin, who has been dealing with the art of silver processing for 65 years, was awarded the Living Human Treasures award of UNESCO. Suphiyerli, who received the award from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, regrets the decrease in the interest in silver embroidery.
Filigree is a silver embroidery art that consists of combining fine silver wires. A handicraft that is very common in Mardin, especially among Assyrians. Although the number of masters is decreasing day by day, it still maintains its existence as a widespread handicraft branch. Suphi Hindiyerli is one of the oldest filigree masters of the city. She is 75 years old and still takes the first light of the morning to her little workshop. She makes different jewelry like bracelets, necklaces, earrings, rings from silver. Just like it has been doing for 65 years.
She takes fine silver strands, goes through many processes and turns them into jewelry. Hindiyerli, who accepted VOA Turkish into his workshop, said that he learned how to make filigree from his brother under the light of the kerosene lamp. Hindiyerli, who has taught many students so far, is upset that not many masters have been trained.
Hindiyerli said, “I learned telkar from my brother. I learned in front of the gas lamp. We did not have electricity. At that time there was a kerosene lamp. I learned the things I had just cut there. Then I learned it slowly, before I started primary school, I learned this job. Filigree is not only silver, it is also gold. I made it from gold and sold it to Anatolia. I sold rose earrings, it is famous in Anatolia, it is a stereotypical model. I had 5-6 apprentices, all of them immigrated. I also immigrated for a while. I worked as a jeweler in Iskenderun to 74, then I went to Istanbul. We grew up with filigree, we said what is in Istanbul, let’s go to our country. We go to our country, we introduce it. It’s been 65 years. I trained 4 masters, now they are teaching in Public Education. When I first arrived, I had 25 girls and 125 students in 97. None of them could stand it. This profession requires patience, not everyone can. If you find a good market, you will have a good time. You don’t get rich with crafts, but you spend it. The person dealing with handicraft is half hungry and half full. This is not easy, it takes patience. We are kneaded with filigree, we will do it even if we are hungry. ” said.
Having received various awards, Hindiyerli was recently deemed worthy of the Living Human Treasures award by UNESCO under the name of “persons possessing a high degree of knowledge and skills necessary for the execution and recreation of certain elements of the intangible cultural heritage”. Hindiyerli said, “The awards I have received are many. The last time I got an award from Mr. President. The Ministry of Culture and Tourism gave awards and a plaque. Emine Hanım gave me a prize. They do not sell this award in the market, I deserve it. “May Allah not let the Republic of Turkey harm it, it spent a terrible money to keep it alive.
Hindiyerli, who opens his workshop with the same enthusiasm every morning, is pessimistic about the future of the profession. He explains the reason as follows; “Training is provided, produced and exported. This three happens together, it becomes a chain. You will train, produce, sell. I lost those markets because I could not grow crops. For example, he says that he can produce 500 pieces, but I can not grow it. There is no employee either, that’s how it remained. It ends as it started. There were many offers from Europe to do this art. They said “Wish whatever you want”. What will I wish? I eat bread here too, I eat bread there too. I cannot go anymore after this age. If I was young, I would. “
Living Human Treasures are determined by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism General Directorate of Research and Education within the scope of the UNESCO Program, according to the following criteria;
He has been practicing his mastery for 10 years,
-He learned his art through master-apprentice relationship,
-Excellence in applying knowledge and skills,
-Have rare information on the subject,
-The devotion of the person or group to what they do,
-The ability to improve the knowledge and skills of the person or group (including innovations that will enable his art to meet with the society),
-The ability to transfer the knowledge and skills of the person or group to the apprentice (apprentice trained)
The fact that the Late Antique and Medieval Church-Monasteries, located in the region of Mardin called “Tur Abdin”, were included in the UNESCO World Heritage Temporary List was welcomed in the city.
The announcement by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism that Mardin Midyat Surroundings (Tur Abdin) Late Antique and Medieval Churches-Monasteries were added to the UNESCO World Heritage Temporary List created excitement in the city.
The biggest expectation in the city is the Mor Sobo Church, which was added to the World Heritage Tentative List, the Virgin Mary Church (Yoldath Aloho), Deyrulzafaran Monastery, Mor Gabriel Monastery, Mor Abai Monastery, Mor Loozor Monastery, Mor Yakup Monastery, Mor Quryaqos Church and Mor Azozo Church. to be included in the permanent list.
“IT WILL MAKE A GREAT CONTRIBUTION TO TOURISM”
Midyat Mayor Veysi Şahin said that, with the work they did with the Ministry of Culture and Tourism last year, churches and monasteries belonging to Late Antique and Medieval times were included in the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List. Stating that Midyat is a city of languages and religions and that it has an ancient city identity, Şahin stated that the belief centers included in the UNESCO World Heritage Temporary List will make a great contribution to the tourism of the province and district. Şahin pointed out that Mardin is also a city that makes a name for itself with tourism, and stated that the city also contributes to regional tourism with religious and cultural tourism.
“We are receiving great support from the government. We believe that there will be a large influx of tourists here after the epidemic. We need to develop culture and belief tourism for the development and prosperity of the region,” said Şahin, adding that studies on this issue will continue.
“IT IS BEAUTIFUL TO PROTECT SUCH PLACES”
Mor Yakup Monastery Priest Edip Daniyel Savcı emphasized the importance of monasteries and churches for religious officials.
The prosecutor said, “It is a good thing to protect such places. This is what we want. This is what we want to stay here. We thank all the authorities for that,” he said.
“THANKS TO EVERYBODY FOR THEIR EXERTION”
Habib Doğan, the headman of Anıtlı village and the officer of the Virgin Mary Church, stated that they are happy to have the churches and monasteries, which are a very important cultural asset for the region, on the temporary list.
Doğan said, “This is very pleasing, positive for our Midyat, our region and our country. I believe that all Assyrians in the world will welcome them with great joy as soon as they hear it,” Doğan expressed that with this decision, the visits to the region will increase even more.
Doğan said, “It is a really important event for all of us. I hope it will be included in the permanent list in the future. We thank everyone who contributed.”
