"Antep Embroidery", where heartfelt emotions are embroidered stitch by stitch, was nominated by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to be evaluated at the 2025th Intangible Cultural Heritage Intergovernmental Committee Meeting to be held in 20.
Following the writing workshop of the file prepared for the "Antep Embroidery" to be included in the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List, under the leadership of Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality and in cooperation with the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Turkey headed to UNESCO.
In this context, it is aimed to introduce the Antep Embroidery, which was presented to UNESCO by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, to the whole world at the committee meeting to be held in 2025, and to preserve this ancient cultural heritage, which is a heirloom of our ancestors, and pass it on to future generations.
TRAINING ON ANTEP WORK EMBROIDERY HAS BEEN PROVIDED TO OVER THOUSAND TRAINERS AT GASMEKS SO FAR.
Trainings are given at GASMEKs affiliated with Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality to increase the awareness of Antep Embroidery, which is a model embroidered on fabrics that can be wired and decorated with motifs on the edges, which adorns the dowries of brides. In this context, since 2015, trainees have been provided with the knowledge and skills to research and prepare patterns suitable for Antep Work techniques, prepare tools for embroidery and apply needlework techniques. To date, a total of 1010 trainees have been given free training.
Individuals who have gained the qualifications required for the profession have been given employment opportunities in areas such as handicraft technology, touristic and souvenir goods, pattern production, dowry, hand embroidery workshops and fashion houses.
KINA: OUR AIM IS TO MAKE IT EASIER FOR THIS ART OF OUR ART TO COME TO THE SURFACE AGAIN.
Helvacıkara – Kıymık Traditional Handicrafts Center unit manager Yelda Henna touched on the history and purposes of Antep Embroidery culture and said, “Its importance in our culture dates back to ancient times. Examples of Antep embroidery have survived to this day, even about 400 years ago. It is a technique that has been used in daily life since ancient times, especially in the dowries and clothing items of young girls for decoration purposes. However, today it is used in limited areas with limited resources. It has started to lose its former importance. "Our aim is to make it easier for this art of ours to come to light again by including it in UNESCO," he said.
Explaining the techniques of Antep Embroidery, Henna continued his explanation with the following words:
“Antep Embroidery is a type of embroidery that can be embroidered by threading, wrapping and filling with various needle techniques and 101 different embroidery techniques. The materials used are natural materials. Silk threads and cotton fabrics are used in the 101 techniques we mentioned. We are trying to ensure the continuity of these by keeping them alive both in our courses and through various activities within the Metropolitan Municipality, and by making them suitable for daily use, especially by young people. This includes various jewelry, slippers, bags, etc. We try to adapt them to daily life by using them in daily use products. Young people are also curious, adopt it and make an effort to use it themselves. Because we see that there are more young people in our trainee applications, and this makes us very happy.”