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Exploring Turkey's Rich Textile Heritage: From Şile Bezi to Suzani Embroidery

  • 10 April 2023

Turkey offers a wide range of unique fabrics that vary greatly in style, design, and colors. Some of these fabrics are:

  • Şile Bezi: It is an airy and lightweight hand-loomed cotton fabric that is manufactured into summer dresses, casual tops for men and women, tablecloths, and bed linens.
  • Denizli Dokuma: It is a pure cotton fabric woven out of thick cotton yarn that is moisture absorbent and breathable. Peshtamels and towels used in the Turkish bathing ceremony are all examples of “Denizli dokuması”.
  • Yazma: It is a type of fabric that is either hand-painted or block-printed using a carved wooden mold. Each province produces unique designs and styles of yazma, utilizing different fabrics and colors.
  • Ikat: It is a fabric with a unique and stunning blend of color and patterns, created by tying the threads together and resist-dying them before weaving.
  • Suzani: It is a type of colorfully decorative embroidered textile that arrived in Turkey via the Turkic nomadic tribes of Central Asian countries such as Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Tajikistan.

These fabrics can be found at local bazaars, weekly markets, and fabric stores throughout Turkey.

Here are some pictures of the unique Turkish fabrics:

Şile BeziDenizli DokumaYazmaIkatSuzani