T.C. Nallıhan Kaymakamlığı

English

NALLIHAN

Nestling in the triangle formed by Ankara, Eskişehir and Bolu, Nallıhan in the Western Black Sea Region is a county of Ankara that is famous for its natural and cultural riches.
Over the ages, Nallıhan has been ruled not only by the Hittites, Phrygians, Bithynians and Macedonians but also by the empires of Persia, Rome and Byzantium. it was first invaded during the Arab campaigns against istanbul, and conquered by the Turks following their victory at the Battle of Manzikert in 1071. The county seat of Nallıhan got its name when in 1599 the vizier Nasuh Pasha built a han or caravanserai in the region. Legend has it that the folk poet Köroğlu looged for one night at this han while passing through the region, and that the next morning as he was leaving a horseshoe (Turkish nal) fell from the hoof of his steed. it is believed that this horseshoe or nal was picked up and hung över the portal of the han, and that the name of the place thus has a conneetion with this folk poet.

Most of the populace of Nallıhan makes its living from farming and livestock breeding. Two of the county's main sources of income are the breeding of Angora goats and the cultivation of silkworms. And the fact that silkworms are widely cultivated in the county has led to the proliferation of needlework there. in our day the silk obtained from the worms is largely sold to merehants, but from one to one-and-a-half kilograms per year is set aside to be used for needlework in the county households.
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The Silk Needlework of Nallıhan

This handicraft, so demanding of patience, is native to the Ankara county of Nallıhan and, quite apart from its role as an element of dress and adornment is imbued with deeper meanings which are expressed through an original language.Needlework is one way in whicn the Anatolian woman expresses herself and conveys her thoughts and feelings. Rather than communicating what is in her mind with words, she has found different ways to teli her joy, pain, resentment and hope through handicrafts, and worked up a visual language consisting of messages that are sometimes witty and sometimes biting and sarcastic.

Through colors and shapes, needlework expresses such emotions as love, pain, remorse, anger, disappointment, happiness and exuberance, and even conveys thoughts and feelings arising from social events and interactions.

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