Osman miniatures To start with, whatever is offered to you as a miniature, even if it looks genuine and old - is not original. In fact there were only a few painters employed by the Sultans and all originals are well kept in the museums. But as a distinctive decoration, it will still look nice.It is highly praise worthy that the old art of the miniature painting has again been taken up in the universities of fine arts and is taught in this country. Old book pages are nowadays used for painting on, in order to maintain the antique character. A part of the page, where the picture has to be is covered first with opaque white. If you want to test the authenticity, hold the miniature up against the light and you will see the dark patch painted over the old text. The Turkish tradition to illustrate manuscripts existed during the cultural period before the arrival of Islamic belief. About this have we a lot of information prepared for you. Just make a note in your Mail for Miniatures to us and we will send you detailed info.

		Turkish carpets First in general, what is it we call a carpet? In Turkey we differentiate between the knotted carpet, which is called HALI, and the woven carpet, the KILIM. Carpets are are the most well-known souvenirs you can bring home from Turkey. And even if you have had just the bad luck of being cheated, they are still a lot cheaper than in your own country. A serious seller tells you and informs you about some basic values in carpet making. The closer together and tighter the knotting, the finer, stronger and more precious the carpets becomes. The number of knots varies from 150,000 per sq. mt. to 1,000,000 per sq. mt. in the finest silk carpets.Thus, a 1,5 to 2 mt. carpets can take from 3 months to one year to complete. In the villages around Bodrum, Milas and Mumcular, rugs are still woven by hand in the traditional way. A well made carpet can last for well over a hundred of years but it should be cherished correctly as a piece of art Here is the address of a very serious shop: Mehmet Cengel; in the center of the town, on the entrance to the harbour; (0252) 316 1747 Copper ware In Turkey there are still hand-made copper goods, of the type, which long ago - was made by the workman at the corner. You can still watch this being done in the environment of the closed Bazaars in Istanbul. In addition, in near Bodrum there is such a copper village (or Bakirköy - as one says here). The village is called Kavaklidere, and is approximately about 100 km to the East of Bedroom near the city of Yatagan. Textiles and leather Products of the natural raw materials leather and cotton are traditionally sold in the shops of Turkey. Cotton is cultivated everywhere in Turkey, so that Turkey is in fact third biggest producer of cotton in the world. Traveling inland and passing Ephesus or Kaunos you will see many cotton fields. Pamuk is the Turkish word for cotton. The harvest is in September - October. Everything related can also be seen in the Bodrum Video
		Meerschaum pipes Carving pipes out of the natural material meerschaum has a long tradition in Turkey. Already in Ottoman times these pipes were well known all over the world. Originally this special skill is based in the town of Eskisehir. In Gümüslük you can also watch the art of pipe making here using the material "meerschaum" which being porous absorbs nicotine very well. Good to be seen in the Bodrum Video

Hand made sandals Skilled artisans can make you a pair of snugly fitting leather sandals in the traditional Aegean style. You will find craftsmen in the center of Bodrum - like Ali Usta and others. You can either order or try one of the pairs they have in stock. Sandal making has an old tradition in Bodrum. More then thirty years ago out of a native interest in Roman sandals some *shoe-makers* started the craft. Today these sandals, which can be considered as pieces of art, carrying old time history to modern people's feet.

Water pipe - nargile Its a ceremony to smoke from the Nargile, the Turkish water pipe. Tobacco,or better only the best leafs of tobacco are laid on the pipe and then topped with a piece of hot charcoal. The water in the pipe cools it down and absorbs the nicotine.

The Boncuk There is one typical item, an equity of this region you should take home as a souvenir, it's called the Boncuk, the Little Magic Stone that protects one from the *Evil Eye* (pronounced 'bon-dschuk'), you will see this blue glass piece everywhere here in this area. But read the BONCUK Story first.

Ceramics from Kütahya This wonderful blue on plates and tiles you'll find mainly on the ceramic articles from the central Turkish city Kütahya. Very often you will see samples that show the tulip motif, which dates from the time when this flower originating in Persia became known around the world.

Market day in Bodrum Every Tuesday there is a cloth market and every Friday, here is a market with fruit and vegetables. Traders and farmers come to Bedroom to sell their produce. This ranges from all kinds of fruits and vegetables to imitation Rolex watches and items of clothing. good to watch as well in the video It is well worth a visit and you should try to bargain before buying anything.