Traditional craftsmanship of Çini-making, Turkey

UNESCO: Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity - 2016
Description: Çini are traditional, handmade glazed tiles and ceramics made in Turkey with colourful motifs found on building facades and in homes. The designs, representing local customs and beliefs, are drilled on paper, transferred to the surface with contours hand drawn, then the work dyed, glazed and fired. Practised formally and informally in traditional workshops, public education centres, universities and in the home, çini making is considered an outlet for self-expression, development, healing and a symbolic aspect of Turkey’s cultural identity.