Historical development of jewelery and filique processing in Mardin

Jewelry has been used for thousands of years for people to feel beautiful, as well as for different purposes and beliefs in all civilizations. Jewelry, which is the most important reflection of the culture and traditions of civilizations, has become the most indispensable element of decoration; It has been shaped by being nourished by tradition, custom and belief. In addition to being used to make oneself look beautiful, to attract attention, to protect against the evil eye, disease and various damages that may be caused by devils and evil spirits depending on religious beliefs, jewelery was also used as gifts for the dead and as an offering to the gods. Leaving jewelry in graves as gifts and funeral jewelry has enabled these works to survive until today. The first jewelry was made from the bones and teeth of hunted animals in the Paleolithic Age, when humans had not yet settled down. Human beings have shaped natural materials such as easily shaped colored stones, teeth, horns, bones and nail parts, and shells of land and sea molluscs by abrading and scraping; Each civilization has created the art of jewelry by revealing its own rich culture and design. All production stages of filigree, which is produced intensively in workshops in Midyat District of Mardin province, have been recorded with writings and pictures. In this study, the journey of Mardin's filigree jewelry, produced in many different forms, from the Paleolithic Age to the Ottoman Period, was recorded, especially considering the near environment.