Türkiye's Antep işi embroidery gains UNESCO heritage status

With roots dating back to the 19th century, Türkiye's Antep işi embroidery—once crafted by young girls as a display of skill for their dowries—has been passed down from generation to generation and has survived to the present day.

Antep işi embroidery was inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity during the 20th UNESCO meeting held on 13–18 December 2025, CE Report quotes Anadolu Agency.

As reported by CE Report, bearers of this intangible cultural heritage aim to introduce the UNESCO-recognized traditional handicraft to the world and to immortalize it by passing it on to future generations.

“We are digging a well with a needle”

Filiz Muştu, a master instructor of Antep işi embroidery at the Gaziantep Olgunlaşma Institute, told an Anadolu Agency (AA) reporter that through the courses they have opened, they teach women traditional handicrafts.

Muştu noted that the defining feature that sets Antep işi embroidery apart from other needlework is the technique of pulling threads.

Explaining that holes are created in the fabric and then embroidered to fill them, Muştu said:

“First, we pull the threads. After that, the embroidery stage begins. The base is wrapped and motifs are placed on top. Then edge cleaning and finishing are done. For a single lentil-sized hole, we insert the needle nine times. This takes a great deal of time. They say ‘digging a well with a needle’—and that’s exactly what we do. In the past, it was used in dowries and then stored in chests; people wouldn’t even dare to use it. Now it is used much more. We modernize it and apply it in different ways, such as on jackets.”

“We want the new generation to learn it too”

Another master instructor, Kevser İşitemiz, emphasized that they are working to increase the international recognition of Antep işi embroidery.

İşitemiz said:
“Thanks to the joint efforts of the General Directorate of Lifelong Learning, the Olgunlaşma Institutes, and the leadership of our Gaziantep Metropolitan Mayor Fatma Şahin, we were all very happy to see such a great treasure recognized and heard. As masters, from now on we will do our part to carry everything that comes from the past into the future.”

Stating that they will continue to develop different projects to teach this craft to the younger generation, İşitemiz added:

“We want the new generation to learn it as well. What more can we do from now on? We already create clothing, covers, and similar items. We will try new things. Some young people actually surprise us. While we think they won’t be interested, they modernize everything—imagining it at the end of an earring, on a hair clip, or along the edge of a belt—and it can be popularized in this way.”