Until 1922, when the last Emperor Mehmet Vahdettin left Istanbul, people from different cultures and religious beliefs had lived under one dominion. This era, which stretched over a vast land and lasted over 500 years, had a rich cultural background and diversity of art. One of these arts is embroidery, which every society has created according to its own beliefs, customs and traditions. Large-scale embroideries made for both profane and religious purposes during those times by Hungarians, Romanians, Albanians, Macedonians, Bulgarians, Greeks, Arabs, Armenians, Jews and Turks have come down to our day. Giving testimony to this period also are ceremonial costumes, daily costumes, embroidered costumes and home accessories found in museums in important places like Istanbul, Üsküp, Tirane, İskodra, Salonica, Athens, Sofia, Budapest, Bucharest and London; decorative elements used for sacred belongings and ceremonial costumes of Christians, Muslims and Jews which are preserved in churches, monasteries, synagogues, mosques, tombs and lodges: and decorative elements used in architecture. These specimens have similar features due to motifs like technological achievements and fashion: however, they also have their differences owing to the distinctive lifestyles, origins, sense of appreciation, aesthetic sensibilities, and thoughts and beliefs of the society to which they belong.
These differences are fed by both moral and material culture. Compared to other societies, Turkish embroideries are distinctive in terms of moral understanding and are grouped under topics such as birth, marriage and death, the three main periods of life. They are also grouped under topics such as circumcision, pilgrimage and war. Many items are prepared before a birth, such as: cradles, cradle covers, cradle sets, cradle ties, peşkirler (napkins), afterbirth bedsets, and swings. Many items are also prepared for a bride before marriage, such as the bindallı (purple velvet embroidered with silver thread) robe, bindallı skirt, bindallı şalvar (baggy pants), bindallı jacket, bindallı cloak, slit-sleeved short jacket, handtowels, delmeler (short-sleeved jackets), dolamalar (embroidered veil), underwear, robes, bridal veils, towel, short cloaks, kaşbastılar (forehead bandages), kavuk sheets, belts, keseler (small bags), coupon fabric, macrames, handkerchiefs, clog bandages, paçalıklar (embroidered underwear or underwear sleeve), peşkirler (napkins), şalvarlar (baggy pants), slipper covers, üçetekler (three-panelled skirts), and yelekler (short-sleeved jackets). Items were also prepared for grooms, such as cepkenler (slit-sleeved short jacket), small cloth bags, baggy trousers, skullcaps, shaving napkins, and waistcoats. All these works are prepared according to tradition and custom. We should not neglect to mention items prepared for circumcisions as well as home decorations, such as mirror covers, cover bags, cüz keseleri (small bags to put the Koran in), sheets, bed covers, wall carpets, door curtains, ocak yaşmakları (kitchen towels), covers, oil cans, pillows, mistresses and children’s costumes. There were also items made for the deceased and their ceremonies such as puşideler (large sheets to cover coffins), puşide levhaları (plates of such sheets), and coffin covers. Items were also made to be used for pilgrimages, such as tents, Kâbe örtüleri (sheets for Mecca), mahmiller, curtains, imperial flags, and prayer rugs (small carpets for praying). Finally, there were items to be used for wars and the military accessories, such as soldiers’ and Sultans’ uniforms, quivers for bows and arrows, shields, animal couplings, saddle covers, tents, sayebanlar (a kind of large umbrella) and zokaklar. In the Ottoman period, Turks lived in many different geographical regions from Asia to Europe and Africa. They came to appreciate and understand the embroidery skills and inspirations of the peoples they came in contact with and yet, through it all, they retained their own essential characteristics.
Turkish embroidery has kept its distinctive milieu with choice selection derived from function, as well as the production of the selected type, its shape, the designation of the decoration, and its perfect application. The changes were easily applied to all fields of embroidery. Needles gave way to sewing machines, natural fibres and colours gave way to artificial ones, şalvar and üçetek gave way to double- or single-piece bindallı, kaftans gave way to uniforms, floor beds gave way to regular beds, floor pillows gave way to armchairs and sofraaltı sumak peşkir (a sheet put under the table) gave way to tablecloths. Many materials and accessories changed throughout the centuries, yet Turkish embroiderers managed to keep their prestigious place by trying and applying new techniques without altering their craft’s main characteristics. Unlike the old Turkish states, the Ottoman Empire succeeded in spreading Turkish art and culture to three continents and like other empires; they contributed a great deal to the world’s art and cultural heritage. The Empire, coming from the cradle of the Renaissance period, had a brilliant understanding of rights and laws, as well as an understanding of art. It lifted Turkish embroidery from being merely local to being truly international. From a material and cultural point of view, Turkish embroidery advanced to a different category and class, coming under the classical aesthetic rules of fine arts accepted by other societies. The embroideries of Turks, which tell us about life from the cradle to the grave, reflect their beliefs, thoughts, feelings, excitement, love and aesthetic values. They came out from various locales from the hands of various people, and they are products of either handcrafts or decorative arts, or plastic arts that can be classified under fine arts. People have taken this branch as a profession and have applied techniques of plastic arts to reflect their creativity and express their ideas in an aesthetic approach. In other words, it is a branch of art in which
fabric is used instead of canvas, thread is used instead of paint. Needles are used in order to achieve communication between individuals and the society.
This branch of art, through the Ottoman Empire, differs from region to region in terms of plastic peculiarities. However, the products show similarities in terms of the choice of types, application of techniques, shaping of types, decorative understanding and the style of Turkish culture. For example, the regional specimens of products in dowry boxes, namely çevre, bohça, kese, peşkir, havlu, seccade, etc., can be seen everywhere in the Empire. Bed cover embroidery techniques of Konya, Karaman, Filibe, Üsküp, Kostivar and Kütahya can also be seen all around the Empire. Similarly, the calculative needlework, peasant needlework, appliqué needlework and wrap-type needlework of Kastamonu, Bursa, the Tarurus Mountain region, Filibe, Raduati and the Rodops are spread all over the Empire. Some items of certain regions are distinctive, such as Turkish bath sets of Edirne, Bursa, Alanya, Kastamonu, Afyon, Filibe, Üsküp and Gümülcine. All centers of Anatolia are famous for their bridal costumes, bindallı, especially Üsküp, Salonika, İşkodra and Filibe. Konya, Aydın, Üsküp, Cassava and Filibe are well known for their şalvar cepken (baggy pants and short-sleeved jackets). Sarajevo, İstanbul and Salonika are famous for their mercan düğmeli yelekler (coral-buttoned, short-sleeved jackets). Antep and İşkodra are well known for their groom outfits, and şalvar cepken (groom’s baggy pants and short-sleeved jackets). Yanya-type bed sheets, bohçalar (protection bags) and covers from Istanbul, the island of Chios, Athens and Cairo should be mentioned when it comes to embroidered pieces in home decoration. On the other side, couch covers, pillows and bed sets of Çankırı, Ayaş, Kostivar and Ohrid are also famous. Istanbul, Salonika and Banyaluka are famous for their applique-style decorated seccade (small carpets for praying). İstanbul, Edirne, Konya, Afyon, Sofia, Salonika, Üsküp, Drama and Yanbolu are well known with their arakiye-style decorated seccade (small carpets for praying). By examining the holy items, ceremonial costumes, priests’ belongings and pieces used in the architectural decoration of the Panayia Church in İstanbul, we can explore the differences of Turkish embroideries of the Ottoman Empire Period with other societies’ embroideries and multiply the examples.
