A Study in Crimean Tatar Embroidery
The Asiye-Zeynep Collection

Acknowledgements

Although I have been interest in embroidery for some time, I am not an embroiderer. When I started working on this project, I did not even know beyond some basic techniques such as stem or satin stitches. It had not occurred to me that many of the embroidery motifs could have meanings and were closely tied to arts and crafts traditions of a given culture. I am grateful to Ms. Necmiye Altug of Istanbul for helping me identify the various stitches utilized in the embroidered pieces under study. I would also like to extend my appreciation to Ms. Suheyla Murat of the Museum of Turkish-Islamic Art in Istanbul for meeting with me on two occasions. She has drawn my attention to the importance of embroidery motifs as well as confirming my findings. Acknowledgement is also due to Ms. Zamira Seyfulla of Arlington, VA, for explaining the Crimean Tatar and Russian terms encountered during the study, and answering my endless questions. Needless to say, I am responsible for any errors that may remain.

Inci A. Bowman
Washington, DC

Posted: 10 February 2010