Knife Making
Thousands of years before the discovery of metal, people made their first cutting and piercing tools from hard stones such as obsidian. And the Romans gave their steel blades to water, producing the strongest. In the Artukids and Ottomans, knives, daggers and swords were not only cutting tools; It was a sign of social status at the same time with the decorations on the hilt and sheath. The masters carved their signatures on knives, which they produced by pounding on the anvil. When the knives dulled over time, they were sharpened on the sharpener bench.
İbrahim Halil Bilgici, who learned how to make knives from his father, has been making knives using traditional techniques for 45 years in his century-old shop. While there were many masters in Mardin who used to work in this profession and sharpeners, today there are only two masters that are remembered during the Eid al-Adha.