The socks knitting of Cizre district

Handicrafts, which develop by being shaped by the way societies live, are cultural values that bear the traces of the society in which they exist. While their own development feeds on the way of life of the society, they also build the culture of the society they feed on. Each handicraft bears traces of the society in which it exists and creates a deep-rooted tradition within the society. This tradition is a document that conveys the phases of the society to which it belongs throughout the ages and sheds light on its past. Traditional sock knitting has also been one of the handicrafts with its own deep-rooted tradition in almost every region of Anatolia. Sock knitting, which has been practiced by women in the Cizre region for many years, has taken its place among the local handicrafts with its unique color, motif and pattern features. In sock knitting, which is done in the region both to meet the needs and to provide additional income to the family budget, while production was made for different purposes such as soldier socks, shepherd socks, men's socks, children's socks and women's socks in the past, today prayer socks, bridal (dowry) socks and daily socks are knitted mostly for women's use. In this study, prayer socks, bridal (dowry) socks and daily socks were examined and the traditional hand-knitted sock culture of the region was tried to be explained through some examples. Approximately 40 women who knit socks in the region were interviewed and information was collected about the raw materials used, other materials used, tools used, application and color motif and pattern characteristics of the socks. Within the scope of the research, approximately 55 hand-knitted socks, including 21 prayer socks, 21 dowry (bridal) socks and 13 daily socks, were examined. The socks were documented with photographs and drawings of the socks and the motifs on them were made. The names and appearance of almost most of the motifs used in the region differ from other regions. Çaw (eye), gul (tulip), pelçım (leaf), gulhirik (small flowers), nivişti (amulet), berg (leaf), çarberg (four leaves), guhar (earring), dar (tree), dipişk (scorpion), sterk (star), dıl (heart) are some of the motifs used in sock knitting in the region. Among these, çaw (eye) and nivişti (amulet) motifs are mostly used. These motifs are frequently used because they are believed to protect against the evil eye. It has been observed that the women who knit socks in the region are mostly middle-aged and above, and that they mostly pursue this occupation for their own needs as well as contributing to the family budget by giving gifts.