The Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) has established a training and production workshop in the city of Constantine, located in northeastern Algeria, aimed at reviving, developing and teaching the traditional art of copper craftsmanship to young people.
Upon the request of the Algerian Ministry of Tourism and Handicrafts, the Copper Design and Training Workshop was inaugurated by Türkiye's ambassador to Algeria, Muhammet Mücahit Küçükyılmaz, under the auspices of the Constantine Traditional Handicrafts Chamber.
Many officials from the Algerian Ministry of Tourism and Handicrafts, as well as various local administrators, attended the opening ceremony.
Küçükyılmaz toured the workshop and made a speech during the opening program.
Küçükyılmaz stated: "Constantine, which was the administrative center of the Eastern Beylik during the Ottoman period, is a center where our common cultural values are most vibrantly experienced. As Türkiye, we attach great importance to the preservation of our shared values. I thank TIKA and the Algerian Ministry of Tourism and Handicrafts for bringing this project to life to keep this art, which is on the verge of being lost, alive."
The ambassador also mentioned that common training programs could be organized in the established workshop to share skills and experiences in the field of copper craftsmanship.
Constantine, known as one of the cities where common cultural values are most vividly experienced due to the presence of many Turkish-descent families, was the administrative center of the Algeria-Eastern Beylik during Ottoman rule.
The art of copper craftsmanship is one of these common values. In recent years, the Algerian Ministry of Tourism and Handicrafts has placed significant emphasis on reviving the art of copper craftsmanship, which has been losing its importance like many traditional handicrafts, and passing it on to new generations.
