Lütfİye Batukan, 73, is a woman who dedicated her life to the creation of "tragacanth" dolls. For the last 55 years, she has been making these dolls that most people have never even heard of. Her love of making dolls started when she was 4 years old, when she began making dolls from mud in the district of Erkilet in Turkey's Kayseri province, as her family did not have much money. When Batukan and her family moved to Ankara, she was deeply affected by the Ethnography Museum which was close to their house. Whenever she had the chance, she would run away from home to see the museum, which became her playground.Lütfiye BatukanBatukan, who was only able to attend school until the 5th grade, adored tragacanth dolls at first sight, during a visit to an advanced technical school for girls on her way to Anıtkabir to see the transfer of the body of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of the Republic of Turkey. "I was enchanted when I first saw the dolls," she said. "I told myself that, if I could not continue my education, I would make these dolls." When she learned that the Evening Art School offered classes on tragacanth doll-making, she immediately wanted to attend the school but her mother did not allow her, saying that it was a childish desire. However, everything changed when Batukan turned 18. "To make a tragacanth doll, one should know about painting, sculptures and tailoring. I learned how to do all these before enrolling in the class. I improved myself, equipping myself with various skills, before taking an interest in making dolls," Batukan said. She got married at the age of 20. Her longing to have a child of her own and her love for the art of doll-making encouraged her to become an expert on tragacanth dolls. She met her master at Evening Art School, where she attended classes for a few years. When the art of doll-making was removed from the school curriculum in Turkey, only two people out of 40 who attended classes in the craft would continue making the dolls. During this time, Batukan was told by her master not to give up on tragacanth doll-making because she had talent, adding that she should promote this art in the rest of the world. "I kept the promise that I made to my master for years because there was no one making tragacanth dolls. I had to undertake this mission," Batukan said.She first made tragacanth dolls of historical figures such as Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror, Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent, Mimar Sinan, Yunus Emre and Osman I, dressing them in local Anatolian and Ottoman-inspired clothes. Once she started, she could not stop. She displayed the art of tragacanth doll-making -- which she pursues with great responsibility -- at various exhibitions. She opened her first solo exhibition in 1960 at the French Cultural Center in Ankara. To be able to contact doll makers in other countries, she also hosted exhibitions abroad and traveled around the world. The artist, who held a total of 12 exhibitions, drew widespread acclaim for her displays in countries worldwide, including the U.S., Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Japan. Her tragacanth dolls have a special place in the collections of many people. Batukan shared her knowledge on tragacanth doll-making, underlining that the material used in the craft is made by drying the liquid that comes from a mountain weed called "kevan." After letting this material rest in water for one day, it becomes creamy and allows amazing dolls to be made when this creamy material is mixed with cotton. "Kevan can be found in many places but it is abundant in Kayseri. When this material is used to make dolls it is also easy to put on clothes as it is suitable for pinpricking," said Batukan, who showed us how to make dolls from tragacanth. When she could not find any fabric to make clothes for her dolls, she would use her own clothes or those of her husband. Batukan prepares clothes for dolls under three categories: Ottoman clothes, traditional Anatolian clothes and clothes that Batukan has modernized. The artist who integrates Anatolian culture to tragacanth dolls has 1,500 tragacanth dolls yet she made thousands of dolls so far. None of her dolls resembles the others and Batukan does not expect to make dolls for commission. Batukan's dolls are the silent witnesses of her life. After all, she regards each doll as her children. Each of her dolls has a different concept. The artist has modernized her dolls in the last five years. She applied Anatolian motifs on ballerinas, dancing women and witches: Hayat Ağacı (The Tree of Life), Dilek Ağacı (The Tree of Wish), Gül Kız (Rose Girl) and Dans Edenler (Dancers) are some of the names of Batukan's tragacanth dolls. She loves the doll figure of Yunus Emre and the doll named "Fatma Gelin (Fatma the Bride) the most. She finishes some dolls in five or six months while some take years to complete. "My mood and life reflect on my work. Making a doll can take a week or months. Sometimes it never ends. It is a process of creation," Batukan said. The artist who said that her dolls are priceless is happy to teach her art to her student Selma Yurtlu. "She has been with me for 15 years. She learned every detail of making tragacanth dolls because she makes dolls with love as she does not have her own child," Batukan continued. She is also relieved that she taught her art to somebody. "It is a great thing that somebody will take over after me," concluded Batukan.Batukan is complaining about the lack of a doll museum in Turkey. She has only one dream, which is seeing her dolls at a museum. "I have been designing these dolls for years. I wish there was a sponsor for a doll museum and I can give my collection. I am now an old woman and have dedicated my life to this. This is why I want to see them in a museum," she said. Batukan's journalist daughter Lütfiye Batukan published a book "Pamuktan Bir Dünya" (A Cotton World) giving insight into the artist's entire life. Batukan will continue to make tragacanth dolls at both home and the Istanbul Arts Bazaar in Sultanahmet.