zanaatlar

Zanaatlar are crafts or artisanal trades produced by skilled craftsmen using traditional techniques. They encompass a broad range of manual disciplines, often carried out in small workshops or by individual artisans. Zanaatlar are characterized by attention to detail, material knowledge, and the transformation of raw materials into functional or decorative objects through demonstrated expertise.

Historically, zanaatlar have been central to daily life and local economies across Anatolia and the wider Turkish world. In the Ottoman period, crafts were organized through guilds and workshops that preserved techniques, regulated quality, and transmitted skills through apprenticeships. Regional variations developed according to available materials—wood, clay, metal, textile fibers—and climatic conditions, producing distinctive styles and product types that remain valued today.

Typical zanaatlar include woodworking, metalworking, pottery and ceramics, glassmaking, leatherwork, textile arts such as weaving and embroidery, carpet and kilim production, jewelry making, bookbinding, and musical instrument crafting. Notable examples within Turkey include Iznik and Kütahya ceramics, regional copperware and metalware, and kilim and carpet weaving from various Anatolian communities. Some crafts also involve techniques like ebru (marbling) and tilework associated with historic mosques and palaces.

In contemporary contexts, zanaatlar persist in contemporary studios and small workshops, often blending traditional techniques with design, tourism, and cultural heritage programs. Education and preservation efforts aim to pass on skills to new generations while promoting sustainable production and fair artisanal practices.