Edirne’nin Meşhur Geleneksel El Sanatları
FRUIT SOAP
One of the traditional occupations in Edirne was soap making. It was the main income for the most of the community. The Sabuni neighborhood is called after this tradition. (Sabun means soap in Turkish) eventhough historical soap making has lost its importance in the modern age, soap is still one of the most popular products of the souvenir market. Edirne is the only center of odorant soap making and the windows of the souvenir shops are decorated with colorful fruitshaped soaps. Musk, amber and rose essences are added to the apple, pear, peach, grape, melon shaped odorant soaps. This production turned into a local handcraft of Edirne. Soap is the symbol of cleanliness which takes a different cultural identity in Edirne. Fruit shaped odorant soaps became very popular and a must have for the weeding chests.
MIRRORED BROOM
The traditional household object broom has lost its importance in daily life. Today it is one of the most popular souvenirs in the market as mirrored broom. Broom making has lost to developing technology as a handcraft but its legacy “mirrored broom” is alive as a souvenir giving life to the traditional craft. The broom is decorated with colored sequences and a mirror. Mirror symbolizes beauty and cleanliness. Because of this belief mirrored brooms were put into the wedding chest of the girls.
EDİRNEKÂRİ
The city of the palace, Edirne has created its own art values. One of them is Edirnekari which literally means “unique to Edirne”. Edirnekari spread to Anatolia since the 17th century. It is an ornamentation made by coloring and varnishing materials like wood, cardboard or leather. It is generally executed on wardrobe doors, wedding chests, caskets, book covers and drawers by making flower, leaf and fruit patterns.the patterns on the muezzin gathering places at the Old Mosque and Selimiye Mosque are known as the oldest examples of Edirnekari. The Edirnekari wardrobe doors at the Edirne Archeology and Ethnography Museum are amongst the unique examples of this artcraft.
