MASTERS OF TURKEY

The Masters of Turkey Project, carried out in cooperation with the Republic of Turkey Ministry of Culture and Tourism, is a project that identifies addresses by compiling an inventory of artisans, workshops, universities, application and research centers/institutes, institutions and non-governmental organizations that work in the field of traditional Turkish arts and crafts, and it aims to help make the Turkish cultural heritage visible and carry it on to future generations.

Masters of Turkey is the first project of its kind in Turkey, and it consists of an online map, a book, an e-book, and a trilingual website in Turkish/English/Arabic which includes geographical, demographic and artistic branch statistics, as well as the inventory of traditional Turkish arts and crafts, the introduction of artisans and institutions, contact information, images of their artworks, as well as statistics on geography, demography and artistic branches.

The project began in 2010 with Istanbul, was updated in 2017 to include the Marmara region, and in 2023, the Aegean region shall also be added to the inventory. The project’s ultimate goal is to become the most comprehensive inventory of traditional Turkish arts and crafts, covering all regions of Turkey with the widest range of artists, institutions and addresses.

The names and institutions identified as the result of online applications via turkiyeninustalari.org  are listed in alphabetical order on the website and in the book. In addition, through the categorization of art branches and cities, user-friendly navigation and search in both the book and on the website is possible.

This inventory study, which is a resource for researchers and enthusiasts, aims to play an active role in determining the cultural and artistic policies and strategies of central and local authorities.

We believe that the project will contribute to the promotion of the cultural and artistic richness of Turkey within the country and abroad, and ensure the continuity of tradition and encourage our artists.

We would like to thank the workshops and educational institutions that have contributed to the project, the officers at the Ministry of Culture and Tourism for their support, our project team and everyone who has contributed to the project.

Take Your Part Among Masters of Turkey!

To take part in the inventory project, you can fill out the Application Form on the turkiyeninustalari.org website.

WOOD ARTS

Wood arts are art forms that were shaped by art movements in many different cultures throughout the ages, used in a variety of areas from co...

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WALKING STICK MAKING

It is possible to say that the tree is one of the greatest helpers of humans throughout the history. People fed their belly with their fruit...

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DOLL MAKING

The toys that have been seen in all cultures since ancient times have been functioning to entertain children even though technological devel...

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GLASS ART

Glass, which is essentially a mineral, gets softer when heated and can easily be processed thanks to its fluidity. This characteristic of gl...

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ART OF BINDING

Binding (cilt) refers to the hard-protective cover designed to prevent manuscripts and printed works from being worn or dispersed. This word...

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MUSICAL INSTRUMENT MAKING

The construction of various musical instruments has been going on since the discovery of the instruments of mankind. Traditional musical ins...

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THE ART OF TILES, CERAMIC AND POTTERY

In the Ottoman period, tiles (çini) tied to architectural ornamentation ceramic was called "kâşî" and, the ceramics for g...

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THE ART OF EBRU

Ebru, which is a paper ornament art is a drawing conducted on water with high surface tension mixed with gum tragacanth or similar substance...

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SHADOW PUPPETRY

The shadow game known as "Karagöz", which is one of the leading traditional Turkish visual arts in our country, has a history extending...

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THE ART OF CARPET – RUG WEAVING

The art of carpet emerges in the places where Turks live and spread from these regions to the world. The pioneering role of the nomadic Turk...

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THE ART OF KHATT

The Arabian Peninsula is the lands where Islam was born and grew. Arabic script is based on Nabati script, which is a descendant of Arami.&n...

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THE ARTS OF EMBROIDERY

Embroidery is among the arts which show the cultural richness, material mastery, and design capability of Turkish society. It was born out o...

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THE ART OF KALEMIŞI (HAND-PAINTING)

Also, known as “Kalemkârî”, kalem işi art is the ornaments made with colored paints and sometimes made with gold pai...

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CALLIGRAPHY

Calligraphy, which means "beautiful writing" in Greek, is arranging the letters aesthetically according to certain rules and writing on thin...

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SPOON MAKING

The spoon that a person uses as a means of eating is an instrument in some areas, and it is still produced. Wood spoons which are both funct...

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THE ART OF KATI’ (QUILLING)

It means carving. It is an art of ornamentation brought by carving out any shape or text from paper or leather surfaces with the help of a s...

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THE ART OF FELT

Felt is a kind of nonwoven textile obtained by forging fleece or goat hair. The felt used by the immigrants in Central Asia intensively in t...

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PATCHWORK

The origins of patchwork date back to old times. It is a handicraft that is created as a result of sewing various pieces of fabric toge...

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KİSPET MAKING

Kispet (wrestler's tights) is a special kind of tights which is worn by oil wrestlers. It stretches from waits to under knees. Kispet is mad...

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TEXTILE ARTS

It is known in Central Asia Turks are improved themselves in textile arts and Seljuk Turks are following them. Since textile products are mo...

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KUYUM ARTS (JEWELRY ARTS)

Precious metals, stones and minerals made using various techniques are called the art of kuyum (jewelry). Kuyum also means that precious met...

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ART OF MINIATURE

The colorful illustrations usually found in manuscript books are called "miniatures". The word is originated from 'miniatura' which means th...

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BASKETRY

Basketry: For carrying various materials baskets made of branches, reeds, canes, stems of wheat are used. Baskets can be with or without han...

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STONE ART

Stone art is an art form which develops according to the developments in the field of architecture and finds its priority usage area in arch...

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TASBİH ( PRAYER BEADS )

Tasbih, a worship tool, is an array of beads lined on a string to determine the number of repetitive utterances of god praising. It is thoug...

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ART OF ILLUMINATION (TEZHIP)

Tezhip is derived from the word "zeheb" in Arabic, which means gilding. Tezhip is usually made on paper using certain forms and motifs with...

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