The woman was singing the folksong beginning ‘Her
scarf was edged with lace' as we entered. She was so absorbed in spinning
that at first she did
not notice us come in. She was in a hurry; it turned out, because her
husband who was busy at the loom was about to run out of yarn. Suleyman's
callused hands moved as nimbly across the loom as his wife’s worked at
twisting the thread. Whichever house you visit in Buldan you first hear the
sound of a song, and then notice a callused hand or one stained with henna.
You find yourself in an age-old story, which has continued, unchanged for
centuries. It is the story of Buldan cloth, each thread of which is the
product of hard work and methods, which have been passed down from father to
son and mother to daughter for countless generations. For the inhabitants of
the town of Buldan in the western Turkish province of Denizli, weaving is a
way of life. The town's history is closely associated with the fabrics woven
here. The famous 14th century traveller Ibn Battuta said, 'Its bazaars are
very fine, and in them are manufactured cotton fabrics edged with gold
embroidery, unequalled in their kind, and long-lived on account of the
excellence of their cotton and strength of their spun thread.' Buldan cloth
is documented as being among the personal property of the first Ottoman
sultan, Osman Gazi (1299-1324), and made into clothing worn by Sultan Murad
I (1360-1389) and Sultan Bayezid I (1389-1402), and a shirt worn by the
famous 16th century Ottoman admiral Barbaros Hayreddin Pasa. Today even more
people than in the past make a living from weaving, though only a few from
the old handlooms, which Suleyman still uses. Many have installed motorised
looms in the basements of their houses or in outhouses, and many others work
in the gigantic weaving mills. Hand weaving has trouble competing these
days, but is still regarded as superior in quality. Pure cotton cloth
accounts for the greatest part of the cloth woven
here, while that made of silk is in decline due to the cost. Instead,
artificial silk and polyster are used in increasing quantities. The soft and
hardwearing Buldan cotton or silk cloth is made in beautiful colours, and
the natural fibres allow the skin of the wearer to breathe. Preparing the
cotton yarn for handmade cloth is a long and painstaking process, including
washing, dyeing, and spinning. In the past the quality of Buldan cloth
depended of course on the quality of the cotton, but equally on the natural
dyes that were used, made from gallnuts, bay, walnut leaves, acorns,
liquorice, chestnut, onion skin and the yellow berries of Rhamnus
petiolaris. Chemical dyes have replaced all of these today, apart from the
yellow obtained from acorns, for which each dyer has
his secret formula. When the dyed yarn has dried it is wound onto bobbins,
and then the weaving begins on traditional looms operated both by hand and
foot. These handmade fabrics are more hardwearing than those produced on
mechanised or factory looms, and the people of Buldan regret that their
beloved handlooms are being ousted by mechanised modern looms. Traditional
textiles woven on hand looms include the bath wraps known as pestamal,
towels, sheets, tablecloths, handkerchiefs, and the large scarfs known as
ustluk which local women tie not only around their heads but also around
their waists. These come in a myriad type, embroidered, patterned or plain,
and sometimes with the warp threads braided at the edges. The traditional
woman’s robe known as ucetek, which is still worn by local women,
particularly on special occasions, is frequently made from Buldan cloth,
also known as burumcuk. Today this cloth is used to make various types of
clothing, curtains and sheets. Although handmade sheets, for example, are
hard to find these days, those made on mechanised looms differ only to the
discerning eye. The typical Buldan sheets with fringes are available in
plain, coloured and striped varieties, and sometimes have borders along the
narrow ends, a type known as fitilli. The embroidery which used to be done
by hand is also now machine worked in colour schemes predominantly featuring
golden yellow, orange and brown. Traditional motifs including zigzags and
kilim designs, and clover leafs, daisies, ears of wheat, magnolias,
pomegranate flowers, lilies, tobacco flowers and tulips.
first she did
not notice us come in. She was in a hurry; it turned out, because her
husband who was busy at the loom was about to run out of yarn. Suleyman's
callused hands moved as nimbly across the loom as his wife’s worked at
twisting the thread. Whichever house you visit in Buldan you first hear the
sound of a song, and then notice a callused hand or one stained with henna.
You find yourself in an age-old story, which has continued, unchanged for
centuries. It is the story of Buldan cloth, each thread of which is the
product of hard work and methods, which have been passed down from father to
son and mother to daughter for countless generations. For the inhabitants of
the town of Buldan in the western Turkish province of Denizli, weaving is a
way of life. The town's history is closely associated with the fabrics woven
here. The famous 14th century traveller Ibn Battuta said, 'Its bazaars are
very fine, and in them are manufactured cotton fabrics edged with gold
embroidery, unequalled in their kind, and long-lived on account of the
excellence of their cotton and strength of their spun thread.' Buldan cloth
is documented as being among the personal property of the first 
Ottoman
sultan, Osman Gazi (1299-1324), and made into clothing worn by Sultan Murad
I (1360-1389) and Sultan Bayezid I (1389-1402), and a shirt worn by the
famous 16th century Ottoman admiral Barbaros Hayreddin Pasa. Today even more
people than in the past make a living from weaving, though only a few from
the old handlooms, which Suleyman still uses. Many have installed motorised
looms in the basements of their houses or in outhouses, and many others work
in the gigantic weaving mills. Hand weaving has trouble competing these
days, but is still regarded as superior in quality. Pure cotton cloth
accounts for the greatest part of the cloth woven
here, while that made of silk is in decline due to the cost. Instead,
artificial silk and polyster are used in increasing quantities. The soft and
hardwearing Buldan cotton or silk cloth is made in beautiful colours, and
the natural fibres allow the skin of the wearer to breathe. Preparing the
cotton yarn for handmade cloth is a long and painstaking process, including
washing, dyeing, and spinning. In the past the quality of Buldan cloth
depended of course on the quality of the cotton, but equally on the natural
dyes that were used, made from gallnuts, bay, walnut leaves, acorns,
liquorice, chestnut, onion skin and the yellow berries of Rhamnus
petiolaris. Chemical dyes have replaced all of these today, apart from the
yellow obtained from acorns, for which each dyer 
has
his secret formula. When the dyed yarn has dried it is wound onto bobbins,
and then the weaving begins on traditional looms operated both by hand and
foot. These handmade fabrics are more hardwearing than those produced on
mechanised or factory looms, and the people of Buldan regret that their
beloved handlooms are being ousted by mechanised modern looms. Traditional
textiles woven on hand looms include the bath wraps known as pestamal,
towels, sheets, tablecloths, handkerchiefs, and the large scarfs known as
ustluk which local women tie not only around their heads but also around
their waists. These come in a myriad type, embroidered, patterned or plain,
and sometimes with the warp threads braided at the edges. The traditional
woman’s robe known as ucetek, which is still worn by local women,
particularly on special occasions, is frequently made from Buldan cloth,
also known as burumcuk. Today this cloth is used to make various types of
clothing, curtains and sheets. Although handmade sheets, for example, are
hard to find these days, those made on mechanised looms differ only to the
discerning eye. The typical Buldan sheets with fringes are available in
plain, coloured and striped varieties, and sometimes have borders along the
narrow ends, a type known as fitilli. The embroidery which used to be done
by hand is also now machine worked in colour schemes predominantly featuring
golden yellow, orange and brown. Traditional motifs including zigzags and
kilim designs, and clover leafs, daisies, ears of wheat, magnolias,
pomegranate flowers, lilies, tobacco flowers and tulips.