EMBROIDERY ART OF BERGAMA REGION

          With the appearance of the textile industry, forming motifs over various fabrics by using various colours, different threads and omamental accessories and applying various embroidery techniques caused the embroidery art to emerge and flourish in the course of time. The origin of textile embroidery in the Turkish art are goes back to central Asia. Various hand made, silk and wool textiles are elaborately embroidered with subjects that reflect the Turkish life style. This tradition of embroidery is brought to Anatolia from central Asia and formed its own style through new cultural elements and practices that turned into tradition.

 The textile embroidery of Bergama region shows itself in various examples paralel to the colourful social espect formed by native. Turcoman and Yuruk nomadic tribes. Apart from local textiles such as kutni (cotton-silk fabric), alaca (striped cotton-silk mixture), and kirpas (heavy cloth made of linen, hemp or cotton), various daily use objects, dresses and accessories made of silk and cotton, namely atlas, linen and broadcloth are ornamented with rich motifs. The whole surface or edges of all products like waistbands, napkins, hand painted kerchiefs, embroidered kerchiefs, embroidered kerchiefs, pilowcases, wrappers, Money and watch pouches and wedding gowns are embroidered either symmetrically or asymmetrically.

 The fabrics stretched over embroidery hoop and frame are embroidered with different techniques by various tools (needles etc.) using silk and cotton threads, gold and silver threads, and kilaptan (silk, silver and gold wire thread), and ornamentation elements like spangles and beads. Hesap isi (counted work), dival (metallic threads applied to ground fabric), murver (leaf pattern), baliksirti (herringbone pattern), suzeni (needlework), and applique work are the most common embroidery techniques.

 For embroideries, usually floral arrangements stylized animal figures, geometric motifs and occasionally symbolic depiction of a social event are used.

 In addition to hoop and frame embroider, needle lace embroideries are made with threads of various quality using tools, namely needle, knitting needle and shuttle. Needle lace is named after the tool used (shuttle lace, needle lace, hnitting needle lace). Various elements from the nature (flower, leaf, fruit, etc.) are skilfully embroidered to the needle laces, which are usually ornamental border of the textiles.

The technique of dying with mader root is important in colouring the threads used for embroideries as well as the weaving quality of the textiles. Thus, the rich variety of colours maintained their vividness for long years untill the present day.

 In addition to the daily use, the embroideries add a decorative quality to the product that they lake place.

 Hundreds types of embroideries, which reflect the laste and liking of our people, made with manual labour and eye straining work and show regional diffrences demonstrate the richness of Turkish handicrafts.

        Rich samples, which reflect the embroidery art of Bergama and anviros are produced since the early periods and this tradition is tried to the kept alive at the present day.