Bayburt's Traditional Ehram Fabric Kept Alive with Handmade Dolls
Ataner, who continues the art of ehram weaving in Bayburt, is carrying the fading fabric into the future through souvenirs and handmade dolls.
Attempting to keep alive the art of ehram weaving that she learned at the age of 12 in Bayburt, 60-year-old Ataner is revitalizing the traditional fabric, whose usage area has narrowed, by producing bags, shawls, jewelry, and handmade dolls.
A Weaving Tradition Spanning from Childhood to Today
Sixty-year-old Ataner learned the art of ehram weaving from her mother at the age of 12. Having woven ehram ever since, Ataner continues her work to revive the ehram, whose usage area has narrowed down.
Until the 1990s, ehram was both woven and used in Bayburt, but it gradually faced the threat of oblivion with the development of technology. With the decrease in the number of weavers, she became the only person continuing this art for a period.
Product Range Expanded Through Fairs
Participating in the fairs of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism to improve herself, Ataner expanded the usage area of ehram with the ideas she gained there.
She carried out work oriented toward tourism by preparing bags, shawls, scarves, jewelry, and bedspreads made of ehram fabric, as well as various souvenir items.
Dolls Dressed in Ehram Fabric
Stating that ehram is a wool fabric traditionally used for covering purposes, Ataner has been dressing handmade dolls in this fabric for about 3 years.
Registered Embroideries Carried Over to Jewelry
Stating that ehram has been registered by Bayburt University and received a geographical indication, Ataner also uses traditional embroideries in jewelry designs.
Preparing necklaces from ehram embroideries, Ataner transforms these products into souvenirs specifically aimed at young girls.
Joint Production Together with Women
Producing together with women in the Şingah Neighborhood, Ataner emphasizes that ehram weaving is sustained through the labor of women.
By working together with other women in the neighborhood, she both keeps the culture going and creates a shared production space.
Cultural Heritage Passed Down to Future Generations
Wanting future generations to also turn to the art of ehram weaving, Ataner states that she will continue to keep her culture alive as long as her life and health permit.