A bride (in the center) and two female relatives in festive dresses. The bride is waiting to be brought to the parental home of her future husband. Her head and shoulders are covered with a big red scarf, that will be taken away after her transfer.

All three women wear velvet dresses, called ‘bindallı entari’.
‘Bindallı entari’ means: ‘robe with thousand branches’, because the decorative motifs on the robe consist mainly of branches with leaves and flowers. This kind of dress has been part of the late-Ottoman urban culture since the late 18th century, all over Turkey; some traditional families still make them (or have them made) and use them today.

The gold thread embroidery has been executed in the so-called ‘Dival işi’-technique (or ‘Maraş işi’, referring to the city of Kahramanmaraş in South Anatolia, where this kind of embroidery has been popular since the Middle Ages). This ‘Dival işi’ is a form of laid work or couching; that is, the gold/metal threads are held on to the surface of the fabric by a second thread, usually of fine silk. The ends of the thread, depending on type, are simply cut off, or are pulled through to the back of the embroidery and carefully secured with the couching thread.

Correspondent: J.M.Criel, Antwerpen.
Sources: The Kavak Collection of Anatolian Costumes, Antwerpen/Belgium.
& ‘Giyim Süsleme Teknikleri’ (Orta Dereceli Kız Teknik Öğretim Okulları, 1984).