BIRTH AND REPRODUCTION

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HANDS ON HIPS :We can see the traces of the mather goddess cult in the familystructure in Anatolia.Womans contrubution to production is very significant,especially agrarian settlements.While urban woman in a way share the responsibility with man,woman in villages are still predominant in both production and reproduction.The mother goddess,depicted with the hands on hips motif in textiles,has been the most perpetuated motifthroughout the centuries an has lost none of its significance.

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RAM'S HORN

   THE RAM'S HORN motif represents fertility,heroism,abundance and manhood and in Anatolia,is second in importance only to the mather goddess.Initially,the role of the male in reproduction was not fully comprehended :consequently,more attributes were ascribed to the female,as she was considered the supreme power in reproduction.Various examples of the ram's horn motif can be seen in the capital of Phrigya,Gordion.The Bronze ram's head,found inthe broad tumulus in 8 BC,shows the side view of the ram's head

FERTILITY

FERTILITY :The word hereket (fertility, fruitfulness) is of Arabic origin, and jt has connotations with marriage, mating, reproduction and so on, especially when the ram horn and hands-on-hips-motifs are used together. Wheat or other multi-grained plants are also used as fertility symbols. Additionally, mulberry, watermelon, melon, pomegranate, figs, grapes, poppy and ears of wheat and barley are the plants; snakes, dragons, rams, bulls, deer, butterflies, fish and ladybirds are animals used to represent fertility. There is a rich variety of this motif depicted in hand woven tapestry, embroidery, gloves and socks, wood work, stone and metal work, ceramic and terracotta; it has always been an indispensable motif for Anatolian craftsmen. The aim in using good luck and fertility symbols is one of eternal happiness. There are many sayings in the Turkish language with the adjectives talismanic, lucky (ugurlu) and fertile (bereketli). Ugurlu refers to a job, or a kid, or a house; bereketli is used to describe a hand or land, a year can be bereketli, as can be the rain, a woman, or sometimes money. In many regions in Turkey, when someone buys a property, it is said, "may this bring you talisman, luck (ugur)." When invited to dinner, one says, "May it be bereketli". When paying the taxi driver, one says, "May this bring you bereket (abundance)".

HUMAN

 HUMAN :It is known that beliefs in Anatolia, such as death-birth and the spirit's dislocating from one body and going into another, are rooted in the culture of Shamanism and are a continuation of this culture. The human figures that we so often see in Anatolian tapestry are described as men, women and children.
In Eastern Anatolian weavings, the human motif is mostly related to children and these motifs usually reflect the weavers' longing for a son or a beloved in a far away land. For instance, in a Chorum prayer rug, the weaver has woven the motif of a boy in memory of her dead son. A star and crescent are woven into the forehead, which most probably means that her son died during his military service. Different human figures taken from various regions can be seen. The figures taken from an 18th century Usak carpet can inform us of the gender, character and social status of the people. The most significant and marked difference between men and animals is the fact that man can think and use his hand. Therefore, the human motif has been drawn, woven and painted up to our day since 600,000 BC, starting from the cave walls.

MOTIFS SYMBOLIZING LİFE

RUNNING WATER

RUNNING WATER  : In Anatolia water is life itself. Anatolian women make use of water all day long, and also use it as a motif in their weaving. Like the Meander, many other rivers give life to the Anatolian soil. Water, the eternal symbol of the flow of life, still shapes human life to this day. In 800 BC, ships were able to reach Manisa via the Meander, thus allowing fundamentally important aspects of Aegean culture (painting, sculpture, architecture, arts and spices, etc.) to develop and spread over a vast area. Aegean culture played a significant role in the development of Turkish and western culture and this is a theme that should be stressed for the benefit of future generations. When referring to Anatolian cultures, some western resources briefly labeled them under the headings of "the Near East", "Asia Minor" or "Ancient Greek", titles which seemed to give a marginal, insignificant view of the area. The Meander wanders about back and forth, and finds itself symbolised with its motif in all Anatolian textiles, especially on Aegean and Mediterranean rugs and kilims.

   BURDOCK  : is a plant found in fields; its thorns stick into people and animals. The pitrak motif is a stylisation of this plant. Anatolian people believed that the thorns on this plant kept the evil eye away, and they have used this motif as a good luck charm. The Turkish saying "pitrak gibi" means abundant, referring to the fruit fullness of the trees. In this perspective, the motif has been used as a symbol of fertility and abundance on flour bags, tandir cloths and on pieces of cloth used to cover the bread. This motif was also found on earth - made seals, remnant from the Neolithic period. Spreading cloths woven with Mersin yoruk, cicim and zili techniques take the name of pitrak, bitrak and pitirdak. We come across this motif in kilims woven in Mugla, Bodrum, Adana and Karatepe, as well as in the Turkmen textiles of Denizli and Afyon, particularly on bags, horse saddle cloths, cralles and similar objects commonly used in their daily lives.