It is limited to tell about the origin of Turkish fabrics. The first samples of Turkish weaving art has bright colors and rich ornaments. We can see the samples at the pictures of the Buddhist caves in Eastern Turkestan from 5^th century A.D. A sample belonged to Anatolian Seljuk Turks is a fabric with a twin lion figure and medallion which has the written name of Aleaddin Keykubat in Lyon Museum. Some travelers such as Ibni Battuta and Marco Polo mention about Seljuk’s fabrics highly. Also, Turkish masters had used fabric patterns in tiles with miniature figures in detailed.

Ottoman Fabrics

We can see the improvement of Ottoman fabrics from collections of Topkapi Palace and Mevlana Museums. Because, keeping minimum one of Ottoman Sultan’s caftans was a tradition. Manufacturers were under the close supervision and organization,. Therefore, Ottoman fabrics had reached to the highest quality. Turkish fabric technique had shown improvement in two sections;  as the fabrics which had been woven in public and others which had been woven in palace looms. Hand loomed fabrics still can be seen in Grand Bazaar. Grand Bazaar has become quite touristic place with nearly 4500 stores. But, back streets of Grand Bazaar are still traditional and it is best place to find finest fabrics.

One of them is Ikat fabrics. Ottomans had used this special Ikad fabrics especially for Kaftans.  Ikat probably carries the character of different cultures independently. It might be one of the oldest forms of central Asian textile decoration where the Turks had migrated from. Its weaving styles vary widely. Lots of design motives must have ethnic, ritual or specific meaning or have been developed for export trading. Traditionally, Ikat have been symbols of status, wealth, power and prestige in Turkish culture. Also each pattern with flowers animals has the meaning which explains story life of women.

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Calligraphy word which means line or a line of writing in Arabic language. Artists introduce calligraphy as a meaning of beautiful hand writing.  Calligraphy is beautiful writing art and we call writers as calligraphers. It is quite special art and really good idea to buy as a souvenir. There are many master artists in Grand Bazaar. It is worth to see very beautiful pieces there.  Especially I saw one store. The artist was writing on dried dieffenbachia  leaves.

Kinds of Calligraphy

It has various kinds such as Kufic, Thuluth, Naskh, Absolute, Reyhani, Tevki (Sultan’s sign), Icaze, Tafsir, Divani (Official letter of royalty). Seljuks and Ottomans had used in many kinds of Arts and handcrafts. Like carpet weaving, drapery, leatherworking, binding, books, ornamenting, porcelain making, amber objects making, ink making, furniture making.

Value parted with writing involved to accentuate the Calligraphy in Islamic Culture. Especially, It had improved very well in the Ottoman culture and risen to esthetic level. Fairly, it replaced with the paintings in western pictorial art.

Ottoman Royalty had taken cared of master calligraphers well. It was a wealthy hand writting art and very expensive. Actually, Buying a  frame of calligraphy is not cheap. But it is very beautiful to decorate the wall with this special hand writing. ottoman artists had used this beautiful hand writing in various places. They used on boards, daily used goods such as carpet borders, boxes, vases, plates, mosques etc

Calligraphy is not a cursory writing. Each writing type has own specialties and rules. Along the history, famous calligraphers created writing rules time by time and specified them. The various writing types specified by their specialties like being the letters capital or small, style, gaps, adjoining some letters to each others, using some dictations.

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It is a huge manufacturing sector which comes from centuries with its factories, confection workshops, leather tanning complexes in many cities and sites of Turkey.

Exporting leather products is the biggest sub-sector with nearly 55% margin. In 2005, 582 million$ of 1.050 billion$ exporting was belong to leather and fur clothing sector. Turkey has proved itself to the world marketing with its quality in leather confection field. Turkish leather and clothing sector mainly heads to these biggest markets in the world: Russia with 22.4%, Germany with 21.7%, France with 13.1%, the USA with 8.7% and Spain with 5.1%. It is  oldest culture of Turks. over 3 thousand years, Turks have been the masters of tanning leathers. And then, Turkish leather have become one of the biggest sector in the market.

Turkey is one of the best retailers in the world. and many famous brands work with these leather companies for tanning, confection and workshops.

The advantages of Turkish Leather and Fur Clothing sector in international competition:

–          Inclination to exporting and having the good experience

–          Fast and serial production-delivery service on order and flexibility in production

–          The quality and variety of raw material

–          Having improved ability of fashion design

–          Experience and quality in fur production

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Iznik Tiles art is a Turkish Handcraft which has not got old and worn off from old centuries to today. Masters start with mixing quartz with little amount of clay to obtain the material of piece. Amount of quartz in used as a material shows the quality of Iznik tiles.

During Ottoman period, They had made a kind of hand made art by using quartz instead of clay. Quartz is a semi-precious stone and takes all negative energy away. So, They had used it on walls, decoration kitchen ware. Seljuks and Ottomans had used this art at the palaces, mosques since the beginning of period. It brings the esthetic to the building. Therefore, seen from this aspect, Iznik Tiles to use is healthy and soothes the person. It is an art which enlivens the people with its colors and various patterns. It brings in both eye pleasure and strength.

It absorbs stress

Raw material of Iznik Tiles is not earth. Quartz has been used like porcelain plates. It is a strong and semi-precious mine which Ottomans had called “Necef (rock crystal)”. Ottomans used to make praying beads and jewelry with it, too. A specialty of quartz is the impressing the people in positive way. Draw specialty of this semi-precious mine is desirable to touch the Iznik Tile. Iznik Tile absorbs stress from the people.

Masters has used hand free technique in painting on pieces. Blue from boron, green from copper, red from iron have been prepared. After giving the shape of piece, they fire it in over 900°C. And then, they paint. After painting, they glaze it and fire again over 1300°C.  Painting on the pieces is a hand free technique. After glazing and firing piece, it shows all the beauty of itself.

Making these handcraft tiles needs a hard work and long time. Because of that, 80% of tile cost is elbow grease. And then, energy affects the cost. So, a square meter of Iznik Tiles is between 1000 and 4000USD.

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Strict symmetry and balance is another signature of Ottoman-influenced designs. Often mirroring the natural geometry of the gemstones used in jewelry.

Designers are looking back to that era for inspiration. They say “We are looking for modern design with a sense of our cultural history. These kinds of lines do exist, where companies are using cultural ties to build a new collection. Turkish Design represents as “Modern design with a sense of cultural history” in the World Gold Council in Turkey.

Spooner Diamond in Topkapi Palace

Turkish Jewelry and the first largest diamond of its kind in the world is in Topkapi Palace Museum, too. Turkish people calls this piece as Spoon maker’s Diamond (Turkish: Kasikci Elmasi). This piece is 86 carats (17gr) pear-shaped diamond. It is  the pride of the Imperial Treasury. The treasury of Topkapi Palace has been quite famous in all over the world. Especially this biggest diamond of the world and Topkapi Dagger are the most famous ones. Even a movie called Topkapi was filmed in 1964 by US film makers.

There is literally a plethora of good jewelry shops in the Grand Bazaar, Istanbul. The price-quality ratio is great. The selection of models incredibly vast and the craftsmanship frequently excellent. Even one of Turkish Jeweler Sevan Bicakci have become best jeweler of the world with his pieces.

Since you plan on purchasing high value goods, I would advise you to look a little in advance into the ground rules of oriental negotiation though.

Additionally, this will not be the Tiffany or Harrods experience. There are cultural differences that you might want to be aware of, in order to get the best deal and have a pleasant shopping experience. But also, buyers sould not forget the respect to piece while negotiating. Because each piece is hand made and takes days and days to complete.

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Nisantasi is the place where you can find all brands, Turkish boutiques, nice cafes, restaurants and bars. It carries on to be both luxurious residential area with heavy traffic, activity, crowds and shopping place with luxurious shops, galleries, restaurants and elegant shop windows.

Nisantasi is an elite shopping district today. Also it is home for many famous creative types as and affluent, secular residential area. This area forms to several novels by Turkish novelist Orhan Pamuk. He was the local resident of Nisantasi. It has the one of the largest community of foreign residents in Istanbul.

History

Ottoman Sultan Abdulmecid I had settled this district in 1850s. He had erected to Obelisks to notify the beginning and ending points of quarter.

The Nisantasi means “Aiming Stone” in Turkish. During Ottoman period, Sultans had used these obelisks as arching points . They are like small obelisks and have Ottoman Inscriptions on them. Some of them are still standing in Nisantasi District.

During the Balkan Wars (1912-1913), Lots of Turks had migrated from Makedonia especially from Thessaloniki and settled here. Also Famous Turkish Poet Nazim Hikmet was one of these migrants too.

Nisantasi was a district where the Sultans had been coming for hunting and shooting practice during the Ottoman period. They had settled some stones for shooting practice and it got the name from those stones. After the sultan Selim III had offered to set first stone in the place of existing Tesvikiye Mosque, also he had offered to build up a small mosque in 1791. After the second period of 19^th century, it had grown up within developing style. Because of moving of Sultans from Dolmabahce Palace to Yıldız Palace and visiting of dynasty members to Nisantasi, it got very popular for rich people.

It was a villa district until 1930 and then became an area of luxury apartment buildings. Especially, it became a residential area for rich people. After 1970s, by losing importance of Istiklal Street, famous luxurious shops have been moved to Nisantasi.

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Around of Republican Monument in Taksim Square has been used as a Ceremonial Square during the National Feasts and also is the main meeting point for tourist and natives. Republican Monument inaugurated in 1928 and commemorates the formation of the Republic of Turkey in 1923, following the Turkish War of Independence. The Nostalgic Tram runs from Taksim Square to along the avenue, ending near Tunnel (Tunel),1875. It is second oldest subway line of the world after London’s Underground (1863). Around the Taksim Square, There are numerous hotels, restaurants, pubs, and international fast food chains like Pizza Hut and others.

It is also a favorite location for public events such as parades, New Year Celebrations or other social gatherings.

 Istiklal Street (Independence Avenue)

Istiklal Street (Independence Avenue) is a long pedestrian shopping street which starts from near Tunnel to Taksim Square.

Taksim square and around it also are the huge center of culture, night life and shopping. It has numerous shops, cinemas, theatres, art studios, exhibition halls, bars, discos, cafes. Especially, it is so dynamic with crowds 24 hours a day at the weekends. The buffets at the entrance of Istiklal Street are open along the day. Istiklal Street and around it carry on positive and negative specialties as heretofore. And it carries the specialty as unexceptional most cosmopolitan area of Turkey. The street is like a huge shopping center with the brands name which is very famous all over the world and local boutiques. I advise my guests all the time to go there for buying the local shoes. It is one of the main things to buy. For the shoes, international brand names like adidas, lacoste, or others can be more expensive than the western countries. But everybody must see the local products which you can find really good quality with reasonable prices.

Cukurcuma

Cukurcuma is one of the districts where to find the antiques in Beyoglu. Beyoglu is a district where controls Cukurcuma, Taksim and other locations. Spend an afternoon in Cukurcuma where the antiques and neon rock-n-roll signs mix with sultan signed candelabras and mirrors lined with fading starlets. The area was once home to a large Greek community where is an old flea market in upscale café and gallery district. A lot of shop owners are descendents of non-Turkish residents whose families have inhabited the area for centuries. It is hosting over 150 antique shops. Some of the shops are bursting with Ottoman Period odds and ends and Turkish cultural memorabilia. Beside them, there are avant-garde art workshops and high fashion boutiques. Upon closer inspection, daring young designers are uniquely Turkish and have been creating a space, a chic, that is all their own. The antique legacy of the area shares the same snaky streets with the up- and-comers, revealing antique treasures and odd collectibles.

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The Judaism have been living with Jews in Turkey for 2400 years. According to archeologists, there were Jewish communities even during 5^th century BC.

Portugal  queen Isabel had asked them either leaving the country or changing believes to Christianity in 1480. Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II had invited them to Istanbul to live together. So many Jews had migrated to Istanbul and other cities by the sea. We call them Ottoman Jews.

The Sephardic Jews have been living in the city for over 500 ears. They supported Ottoman Government much by introducing new ideas, methods and craftsmanship. The first Gutenberg press in Istanbul had been established by Sephardic Jews in 1493. They excelled many fields, particularly medicine, trade and banking. More than 20.000 Sephardic Jews still have been living in Istanbul.

Also There is Ashkenazi Jews who had come from Germany during 2nd World War. They are the followers of Judaism too. There are a few little difference in praying style.

Today, There are 20 functional synagogues in the city for Judaism.  The biggest one is the Neve Shalom Synagogue was built in 1951 in the Beyoglu quarter. A decrease in the population of the Istanbul Jewish population occurred after the foundation of Israel in 1948. But the Turkish Jews who migrated to Israel helped to establish strong relationships between Turkey and Israel. The founders of Israel and prominent Israeli politicians like David Ben-Gurion, Yitzhak Ben-Zvi and Moshe Shertok had all studied in the leading Turkish schools of Istanbul namely Galatasaray High school and Istanbul University.

After the foundation Israel Country in 1948, Most of Jews had migrated to Israel. They have preferred to live in a Jewish country.

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93% of population in Turkey is Muslim. Since 10^th century, Islam have become the most practiced religion in Anatolia. Anatolia means Turkey today. Most of Muslims in Turkey are Sunnis. Also There are some Alawites in Muslim community. Also %5 Christian and %2 Jews living in Turkey.

Istanbul had been the final seat of the Islamic Caliphate, from 1517 to 1924. Ottoman Sultan Bayazıd had brought and preserved some relics of  prophet Muhammad, Abraham, and King David  in Topkapi Palace, Eyup Sultan Mosque and several other prominent mosques of Istanbul for hundreds of years.

Secularization period

After the collapsing of Ottoman Empire, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk had founded the Turkish Republic. The secularization had started in the society with the foundation of new country. Also It was the most prominent and controversial feature of Ataturk’s reforms. Under the leadership of Ataturk had abolished the caliphate with his leadership. He had eliminated and reduced the power of Islamic religious authorities.

First Mosques

The urban landscape of the city has been shaped by many communities. The most popular major religion is Islam. The first mosque had been built in Kadikoy on the Asian side of the city which had been conquered by the Ottomans in 1353. Conqueror Fatih Sultan Mehmed had built the first mosque on Europan side of Istanbul in Rumeli Fortress 1452.  Holy Apostles Church was the patriarch of Byzantine Empire. So They had built first imperial mosque over this church in 1470.  It was very important Byzantine church and originally had been built  during the Constantine the Great.

Architect Sinan had built many imperial Mosques during 16th century. He had built Suleymaniye Mosque for honor of Great Suleyman the Magnificent in 1557. And of course famous Sultan Ahmet Mosque (1616), “Blue Mosque” have become the imperial mosque of 17th century It has become very famous with finest very beautiful blue quartz tiles of 17^th century.

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At the pregnancy of a new daughter in-law, an excitement among family members grows. Upon hearing the good news, a golden bracelet comes immediately as a present from the mother-in-law. In rural areas a pregnant woman declares it with some symbols mostly on her clothing; her scarf, motifs on it and suchlike. In tradition, The woman near parent in-laws and husband has to be shy and not to talk a lot. Therefore, she was showing her pregnancy or births with symbols.

For the births,

In rural places midwives are present, whereas in big cities hospitals are common. After the birth, the new mother receives presents of gold and the child gets all manner of gifts. The mother is not supposed to go out from her house for 40 days. If she works, she has a holiday of 40 days automatically. Relatives, friends and neighbors are all helpful. In the first three days only close relatives come to visit, but in the following days the others also come to visit with lots of presents. Breast-feeding continues normally until the age of two or even later and then weaning is sudden.

Customs in Anatolia

In Anatolia there is a custom of planting trees in the names of newly born children (births) Chestnut, mulberry and apple trees are planted for girls, poplar or pine trees for boys. Planting trees for boys is a kind of investment for him to be used in his marriage when he grows up.

Also another tradition in births is burying funiculus at the specific places such as garden of schools, mosques, homes. We believe that if we bury in school garden, he will be fond of books and has successful education life. Others have similar purposes too.

Also Mostly in local places, couples prefer to give the name of parent names to their children. So There are millions of Mehmet Ahmet, Ayse in Turkey.

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