MOSQUE DOOR CURTAINS MANUFACTURED FROM KICKING FELT IN AFYONKARAHISAR

Abstract

Afyonkarahisar is among the centers of felt production in Anatolia. Craftsmen produce products such as rugs, prayer rugs, curtains, kepenek (a turkish felt cape used by shepherds in Turkey), saddlebags, various headgear, and industrial felts ın traditional recoil felt workshops. The harsh climate of Afyonkarahisar, which has cold and snowy winters, has made the use of felt products widespre- ad. Felt curtains hung on the windows of houses and doors of mosques for insulation purposes are used in some mosques today. The edges of the felt curtains made of domestic wool are surrounded by leather so that they do not stretch and are more durable. Felt master and leather master produce felt curtains by division of labor. In the saddling process, calf skin and goat skin are used generally. Felt curtains can be produced with or without patterns. The names of “Allah” and “Muhammad” are written on the felt curtains attached to the doors of the mosques, on leather usually. Especially in historical sources such as şer›iyye registers, records of felt curtains are found. The subject of the research was determined as “Mosque Door Curtains Produced from kicking felt in Afyonkarahisar”. The use of felt door curtains is decreasing day by day and they are being replaced by curtains made of synthetic material. For this reason, it is important to determine the properties of felt curtains. The purpose of the research is to make the felt curtains produced by the masters, the raw materials used in their production, the production techniques, sizes, decoration features and the information obtained into a written source. In the research, literature review and field research were carried out, and information was obtained by interviewing the masters related to the subject. İn the conclusion suggestions were made to continue the production of felt curtains by evaluating the data obtained.