A Group of Plain Weaves Found in Muratlı (Maradit) Mosque, Artvin, Borçka

Abstract

Since prehistoric times, people have made continuous progress and aesthetically arranged the spaces they inhabit, alongside their essential needs such as shelter and sustenance. Exploring its surroun­dings and now ruling over them, humankind initially spun plant fibers to obtain yarn, then learned to weave, and covered the spaces they lived in with woven fabrics both to make them look beautiful and to keep themselves warm. Woven fabrics that could not have been preserved for long periods of time, due to their raw material and intended use, have been found, albeit in small quantities. For instance, samples from one of the oldest remains were discovered in the Dzudzuana Cave, located in the foothills of the Caucasus Mountains in Georgia. Linen fabric remains, made out of plant-based fibers, were discovered in the Upper Paleolithic layers of the cave. It has also been found that some yarns were colored, two-plied and knotted. Whereas in Anatolia, the oldest woven fabric remains were found in the excavations of Çatalhöyük. These artifacts are dated between 9th-7th millennia BCE and it is determined that weaving was known in Anatolia from these earliest periods. It has been indicated in various written sources that the successor civilisations who ruled over Anatolia, such as Hittites and Urartians, also knew about weaving and natural dyeing, and even used it for commercial purposes; however, the peak era of this craft in Anatolia came with the Turkic migrations to the region. In fact, as inferred from the travelers' notes (İbn Battuta; Marco Polo; Evliya Çelebi), in and after the Middle Ages, weaving production occurred in various centers and the products were also exported outside of Anatolia. In this paper, a group of plain weaves housed in the Muratlı (Maradit) Village Mosque in Artvin/Borçka, is examined. The artifacts found in this mosque, which was built in 1846, are evaluated according to certain characteristics, such as weaving technique, color palette, composition, and motifs. This study attempts to demonstrate the place and significance of the plain weaves found in this region of Anatolia, which borders Georgia, within the art of weaving.