Kutnu
in Gaziantep, Turkey
Kutnu weaving is an ancient technique, believed to be inherited by Syrian weavers. Today, in the city of Gaziantep in Turkey, a city boosting with artisans of many kinds, from shoemakers to coppersmiths, there are only a handful of textile-ateliers left, who continue the kutnu tradition. Even with elevated looms and the introduction of the city university’s atelier, many steps of the making remain as 100 years ago.
Following a collaborative process, two versions of the kutnu-weave were developed with the local artisans of a 4th generation family-owned weaving atelier in Gaziantep.
“My name is Kasim Kaygin and I am a local of Gaziantep.
Kutnu-weaving is the vocation of my nene ,
my mother’s mother. She used to weave
meydaniye at her home.”
A conversation with Kasim Kaygin
Kutnu weaving involves
a lot of preparation and complex steps.
Seen here; the threads are manually arranged
to be hooked on to the looms
– to arrange the pattern of the weave.
shot in the Mekikci Atelier
“The facilities in the Gaziantep University are fairly new.
The goal is to educate a new generation of
artisans to continue the kutnu craft.”
A conversation with Mekikci Atelier
Photo inside the atelier
