Art of ages, "Coppersmithing"

GAZIANTEP - Muhammet Faruk Alagas and Emre Gurkan Abay

Copper, a mineral that gave its name to an era, has played an important role in many communities throughout the ages in Turkey.

Burial mounds dating back to 5500 – 3000 BC in the Turkish provinces of Gaziantep, Adiyaman and Kilis, show that coppersmithing was a common practice in Anatolia during the Copper Age, also known as The Chalcolithic.

Gaziantep was also among the centers for coppersmithing during the Ottoman Empire period.

“Coppersmithing has a special place in Turkish culture. However, because we do not make much money producing these products, master craftsmen have difficulties finding new apprentices,” head of the Coppersmiths and Pearlsmiths Chamber in Gaziantep, Celal Acik says.

Emphasizing the importance of educating young people in coppersmithing, Acik states that professional skills should be taught to young people. “We have began working with Turkish Ministry of National Education to implant coppersmith passion to young talents in Turkey,” said Acik.

The art of coppersmithing will never perish in Turkish culture, because the master craftsmen not only produce traditional pots, pans and coffee pots for discerning food lovers, but they also develop new designs and products to suit modern needs.

Gaziantep leads the way in Turkey's traditional craft where patterns and figures are processed solely by hand on copper products and have earned a reputation around the world for this reason.

In the past, copper products were found in many different areas of daily life, in particular in the kitchen.

“Copperware bazaar used to be a vibrant area with the sound of coppersmiths. But today copperwares are mainly displayed as decorative items in living rooms,” said Selman Cagirli, a decorative metalworker in Gaziantep, who specializes in working in copper for over 65 years.

Although he is able to earn his living through coppersmithing, Cagirli says unfortunatley a sufficient income for the new generation from coppersmithing is not possible these days.

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