Artisans in Odunpazarı keep cultural values alive

ESKISEHIR

Eskişehir’s Odunpazarı district is known for its unique artisans working in the field of meerschaum and glass art, keeping these creative values alive.

The historical district of Odunpazarı in the central Anatolian province of Eskişehir attracts attention to its tradition of artists and craft masters creating works of meerschaum and glass.

Erol Güler, a meerschaum artist in Odunpazarı and a State Artist, has been continuing the tradition by working this special stone for 45 years. Güler stated that he will continue this craft, which he learned from his grandfather.

Drawing interest to the historical importance of the meerschaum, quarried from the villages in the north of Eskişehir, Güler said that the value of this mine should be increased not only with souvenir products but also by research.

Stating that it is strictly forbidden for construction equipment to operate in these regions, Güler stated, “It is a mine of 1 meter to 120 meters deep underground in the north of Eskişehir and it is allowed to be mined by hand only since it has a soft texture. It is a type of mineral that begins to dry when it comes to the surface as the humidity increases. After being processed it becomes very solid. It has been used for multiple purposes throughout history. It has been approved as the best tobacco smoking material in the world. Generally, we work on pipes and souvenir products. This stone has a history of 5,000 years. We know this from an ancient seal found in the grave of a small child during the excavation carried out in the ancient graves of Çavlum village, a sub-district of Eskişehir. Our fathers and grandfathers transferred this profession to us. Now my children continue in the same way.”

Speaking about the details of the work, Güler said, “You need to be a volunteer to process this stone, you need to love the stone and the rest will follow. This is how we grew up with sarcasm. We generally produce rosaries, trinkets, necklaces, earrings, rosaries, pipes, etc. Because it is a very soft metal, it can be processed easily. Meerschaum is a value of our country; it is a mineral that is not found anywhere else in the world.”

 The art of glass

Şeniz Akşit Erden, who works in the field of glass art, is another artisan of Odunpazarı. She stated that young people who grow up in glass art and receive education in this field will produce different and more beautiful products.

“I mostly work on jewelry. Apart from that, I also work with various areas of glass such as figurines, fusions and enamel works. We generally work on gift jewelry and household items. Jewelry is more preferred; it is followed by wall products as decoration. The cheapest product starts from 50 Turkish liras and prices go up to 400-450 liras. Since Odunpazarı is the place where Eskişehir was founded, artistic activities first started here. We really need young people who will be able to maintain this tradition,” she said.