The wood carving art of Seljuks still lives in Turkey
Nov 03, 20161:56 pm +03 +03:00
The wood carving art of Seljuks still lives in Turkey
Wood artist Nuri Akyıldız has been keeping the old art of wood handicraft alive for 40 years in Turkey. (Anadolu Agency Photo)
The wood carving art of Seljuks still lives in Turkey
61-year-old Akyıldız works alone in his 30-square-meters workplace in Turkey's southern city of Adana since his primary school times when he learned the handicraft, which was inherited by Seljuks in Anatolia.
The wood carving art of Seljuks still lives in Turkey
Akyıldız, the father of two children, says that because of the increasing popularity of technology, the wood carving art is unfortunately on the verge of disappearing.
The wood carving art of Seljuks still lives in Turkey
"I feel happy and relaxed when I am carving wood," Akyıldız said and added that he did not want the tradition to disappear and he wants to leave it to the next generations.
The wood carving art of Seljuks still lives in Turkey
Before carving a figure on wood, the craftsmen draws it on paper to give its final shape and uses iron stylet to shape the wood.
The wood carving art of Seljuks still lives in Turkey
"The kind of tree, which I use, changes according to the figure, particularly when carving a figure like a human, animal, arrow or bow, I generally use lime, walnut or hornbeam trees," he said.
The wood carving art of Seljuks still lives in Turkey
"I cannot find any youth who wants learn this handicraft. They only care about how much they will be paid. Because you cannot make too much money with this art, they reject it. That's why we cannot find good craftsman today," Akyıldız said.
