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Kutnu has been woven in Gaziantep since the 16th century, and in the past was one of the most sought-after of Turkish fabrics.
Kutnu was used in the past for making kaftans for the sultans, and today is widely used for decorative purposes and to make slippers, bags and many other gift items.




The satins, velvets, bürümcük, muslins, coarse striped cottons, silk and cotton brocades, printed muslins, broadcloth, woollen cloth, shawls, waistbands, cicims, silis and sumaks, felts and countless other handmade textiles and rugs are almost forgotten. 
But kutnu is more fortu­nate than the rest, since in the Turkish province of Gaziantep a few elderly weavers are endeavouring to keep this traditional fabric alive.
Kutnu is made of silk dyed with vegetable dyes, and is characterised by alternate shiny and matte stripes, and designs of various motifs, par­ticularly flowers, Although rarely made of pure silk.

Exported to USA 

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Kutnu has been woven in Gaziantep since the 16th cen­tury, and in the past many people all over Anatolia aspired to own a kaftan made from it. 
Possessing both the elegance and magnificence suited to royal attire, it was worn by the Ottoman Sultans, and lengths of kutnu are frequently listed in palace registers of gifts presented to them. 
Kutnu's fame spread beyond the bounds of the Ottoman Empire to Europe and even America, as we see from its appearance in trade agreements with the United States.


Immitations in Britain

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Trade with Britain was also brisk, and when supplies of kutnu failed to keep up with demand British weavers unsuccessfully attempted to imitate  it   according   to Pretextat Lecomte in Les Arts   et   Metieres   de   la Turquie de I'Orient, pub­lished in Paris in 1902. 

Kutnu has been woven in Anatolia since Seljuk times. 
With its brilliant colours and pat­terns, kutnu adds to the colourful displays in Istanbul's Kapaliçarşi Grand Bazaar.


Kutnu fabric has been woven since the 13th century, reaching
the highest production levels in the late 19th century, when
exports flourished, Until the 1960s nearly three thousand looms
were still weaving kutnu in the province of Gaziantep alone, but
today the last surviving elderly weavers are striving to preserve
this ancient traditional fabric from extinction. With demand
buoyant there is reason to hope that they will succeed.
First the bob­bins of warp thread are rewound into hanks,  using a piece of equipment known as a devere. Next comes the dyeing, which is the most important stage, and today in Gaziantep just one dyer remains, Having been soaked in cauidrons of boiling dye and dried, the hanks are sent to craftsmen known as mezekçi, who check the thread for weak points and remove short fibres so that it does not break during weaving. The thread is then combed and is ready to be woven. Although traditionally woven on handlooms, this is both laborious and time-consum­ing,   so   most   weavers   use motorised looms today. 

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These fabrics in diverse patterns are sold to drapers all over Turkey including those in the Kapaliçarşi or Covered Bazaar in Istanbul, where large quantities are sold to both local customers and tourists. 
The different types of designs each have their own name, such as sultan, mecidiye, hindiye, kemha, darica, zin­cirli, sedefli and çiçekli. 
Golden yel­low, which shows off the gloss of the fabric to maximum effect, is the pre­dominant colour.
Next comes red, followed by purple, green, maroon, blue and black. 
The colours, although bright, are combined with exquisite harmony, never clashing.
 In Gaziantep and many other places in Turkey, clothes made of kutnu are still preferred for special occasions, It is also used for folk dancing costumes, and even as furnishing fabrics for upholstery, cushion covers and curtains.

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  • Home
  • About Turkey
    • Blog
    • Brief History of Turkey
    • Geography
      • Flora and Fauna
      • Rivers of Turkey
        • Kızılırmak
        • Yesilırmak
        • Asi
        • Aras
        • Menderes
        • Gediz
        • Sakarya
      • Castles of Turkey
    • Demographics
      • Population
      • Women In Life
      • Social Security
      • Social Services
        • Military Service
        • Education
        • Health
      • Accessibility in Turkey
      • Non-Governmental Organizations
      • Consumer Rights
    • Politics
      • Brief History of Turkish Politics
      • The Present Political System
        • Constitution
          • Laicisim
          • Presidency & Religious Affairs
          • Election System
          • National Anthem
        • Foreign Relations
          • Peace Keeping Role
          • with Middle East
          • with Russia
          • with Greece
            • Cyprus Question
          • in Balkans
          • in Aegean
          • Armenian Issue
          • Souther Caucacus
          • Central Asian
    • Economy
      • GNP
      • Growth
      • Industries
        • Mining
        • Housing Sector
      • Trade Indicators
      • Free Trade Zones
      • Employment
      • Privatization
      • Developing 8 Countries
      • Economic Co-operation
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    • Faith
      • Faith Tourism
        • Christianity
        • St. Paul
          • St. Paul of Tarsus
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        • Pisidia Antiocheia