The Committee
- Takes note that Türkiye has nominated Antep Isi, drawn thread embroidery of Gaziantep (No. 02294) for inscription on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity:
Antep Isi, or drawn thread embroidery, is a centuries-old needlework technique that traditionally involves working on white fabric with white thread. The threads are drawn and cut to create designs and patterns that have been passed down for centuries. Today, the embroidery is sometimes made using coloured fabrics and threads. Drawn thread embroidery cannot be mass-produced and requires careful, skilled work. It is usually performed on embroidery hoops for smaller fabrics and frames for larger ones. The embroidered fabric is used in daily life, including for clothes, table covers, bedsheets and accessories.
- Considers that, from the information included in the file, the nomination satisfies the following criteria for inscription on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity:
R.1: Women, especially grandmothers and mothers, are the primary practitioners and transmitters of this craft, passing down their knowledge to their daughters and granddaughters orally and through demonstration and hands-on practice. Local organizations also run training programmes, workshops and courses to teach the craft to younger generations. An essential part of the social and cultural life of its practitioners, drawn thread embroidery is deeply tied to the regional and urban identity. It is a means of expressing creativity, dreams and desires through motifs such as birds, fruits and flowers. It is also a social activity, with women gathering to embroider while they share stories and bond.
R.2: The nomination file consistently identifies how the element fosters sustainable development and how its inscription would ensure the visibility and awareness of the importance of intangible cultural heritage. It contributes to inclusive and high-quality education, given the diversity of opportunities for its transmission to individuals at any stage of life. It also contributes to fostering peace and social cohesion through events that nourish mutual respect and dialogue between bearers of traditional knowledge. Finally, the production of traditional embroidery with thread promotes entrepreneurship and generates income for women, while also ensuring environmental conservation.
R.3: Practitioners, communities, non-governmental organizations, municipalities, and governmental bodies have developed a coherent safeguarding plan. It includes ongoing and future activities, such as training courses for numerous women, exhibitions and fashion shows related to the element. Field research and documentation of variations in the artistic practice of embroidery are also part of the plan. In addition, safeguarding measures supported by the submitting State Party and focused on the internationalization of embroidery, through workshops and fashion shows, could contribute to promoting products based on women's traditional skills.
R.4: The preparation of the nomination file involved communities, groups and individuals, including embroidery masters and apprentices, trainers, academics and experts. Following the completion of the draft file, a meeting was held in 2024 to finalize it and prepare the safeguarding plan. At this meeting, participants gave their free, prior and informed consent to the nomination. Their support was also expressed in several letters, some of which were handwritten, conveying their personal and emotional commitment to the objective pursued.
R.5: The element was included in the Intangible Cultural Heritage National Inventory of Türkiye in 2020. Maintained by the General Directorate of Research and Training of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, this inventory is updated on an ongoing process, at least twice a year. Academicians, non-governmental organizations representatives, experts, communities, groups and individuals cooperate with the Ministry of Culture and Tourism in the update processes.
- Decides to inscribe Antep Isi, drawn thread embroidery of Gaziantep on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity;
- Commends the State Party for the excellent nomination file, which reflects practitioners’ significant contributions to the production of documents and photographs of an element that is essential to their social life.