Tradition of Vegetable Dyeing in Fethiye and Current Status

Abstract

Natural and vegetable dyeing which has a long tradition in Turkish culture was unable to compete with artificial dyes in time and has come to the point of being almost non-existent in many important weaving center. Fethiye has a distinct place in Anatolian weaving culture with a unique woven carpets and flat woven tradition. Vegetable dyeing is still trying to continue with the traditional recipes in the Fethiye region. In this study, it is aimed to explain traditional dyeing methods with endemic plants used in dyeing of carpets and flat weaving yarns’ of Fethiye region. In the area, plants such as walnut leaves and bark, elm bark, thyme, euphorbia, acorns, quince leaves, and also artificial dyestuffs are often used in dyeing of knot yarns of carpet. Widely practiced methods in dyeing as follows: firstly wool carpet yarns dyes with vegetable dyestuffs and then the dyeing process continues with the addition of artificial dyes to colored water. Dyeing of yarns of flat weavings are used some plants such as walnut shells and leaves (Juglans regia L.), vine leaves (Vitis vinifera L.), quince leaves (Cydonia vulgaris Pers.) euphorbia (Euphorbia sp.), onion skins (Allium cepa L.), poplar bark (Populus alba L.), elm bark (Ulmus laevis), thyme (Thymus), fumarium (Fumaria officinalis L.), acorn (Quercus aegilops L.), almond leaf (Amygdalus orientalis Miller), and barberry root (Berberis vulgaris L.). Alum and citrus fruit are frequently used mordants in the region and they are located in many dyeing recipe as natural mordants. Citrus fruits, alum and the salt and sometimes colored water obtained with walnut shell are used as mordants. Preparing to dye of yarns with some of these mordants by pre-processing is called acimiklama. Blue, green, red, yellow and shades of these colors are generally dyed in the region. Recipes concerning these colors were presented in detailed.