Young woman of the Türkoman nomads from Bursa

Traditional festive costume from Karakeçeli villages near the district town of Keles (55 km south of Bursa).
Still produced today, partly for private use, but especially because there is a huge demand on behalf of folk dance groups from Bursa town and other major Turkish cities.
Except for the metal jewelry, all parts of the costume are homemade, including the beadwork (hat, necklace, purse). This elaborate costume, adorned with plenty of embroidery of diverse art, numbers up to twenty items.

Karakeçeli: Türkmen clan, belonging to the Kayı tribe of the Oğuz Turks (Osman I, founder of Ottoman Empire was a hereditary leader in the Kayı tribe). The Karakeçeli were first mentioned in Anatolian history at the battle of Malazgirt (1071).

Note: The museum’s labeling as ‘nomad’ is somewhat misleading since all Turcoman groups in the Bursa region settled in villages before 1750; some of their annual festivals go even back to 1350, such as the Karakeçeli ‘Hıdırellez Şenlikleri’ of the Sorgun village, near Keles.

Correspondent: J.M.Criel, Antwerpen.
Sources: The Kavak Collection of Anatolian Costumes, Antwerpen/Belgium
& Website of ‘yoremguncel.com’.