Where to buy Turkish ceramics, textiles, jewellery and accessories
It’s not all about Turkish delight, coffee, carpets and baklava

Whilst it’s great to get to the heart of Turkey and experience shopping firsthand in the land of the Ottoman Empire, haggling in the Grand Bazaar, succumbing to the aromas of spices and indulging in the tastes of Turkish delight, coffee and baklava, you can discover just as much pleasure when you go home-shopping online for ceramics, textiles, jewellery and accessories from Turkishwares based in Wells, Somerset.

Yuksel, who runs Turkishwares, grew up in Istanbul and her family were originally from a small village in Anatolia. She learned from her mother about making needle lace and how to care for delicate linen and cotton whilst experiencing life in the heart of the great Turkish people and their charming culture. Yuksel was surrounded by Turkish ceramics in rich colours and elaborate designs, dazzling Anatolian motifs, handmade needle crafts, laces and beautiful Iznik tableware.

Isn’t it about time you thought about replacing some of your much-used tableware and cushion covers? Maybe you need a beautiful original gift for a birthday, anniversary or wedding? Or maybe you just want to splash out during lockdown and cheer yourself up with new colourful items around your house and even something for yourself in the shape of jewellery or accessories.

Turkish ceramics and textiles are all about traditional design, vibrant colours and authenticity. Around 90% of Yuksel’s producers are amazing, creative, local artisans, who spend their time producing quality ceramic tableware, lovely cushion covers and gorgeous Turkish jewellery. At the end of each day, these lovely ladies are tired and their bodies ache, but they are proud and fulfilled when they see what beautiful creations they have produced.

Turkey has some of the world’s most stunning textiles, especially its cotton – grown with care using century-old practices. Traditional motifs and designs are reflected in all the products on Turkishwares’ website and Turkish designers’ interpretations can be found on the contemporary silk Suzani and cotton Ikat cushion covers – Ikat being one of the oldest forms of textile decoration. Colourful, decorative embroidered Suzani textiles arrived in Turkey with the nomadic tribes of Central Asia and the name derives from the Persian word for needle. Some of the most popular designs on Suzanis include the sun and moon, Ottoman tulips, birds and fish.

In Turkey, ceramic production has a long history and this tradition started with the first ceramics being created in Anatolia over 8,000 years ago. You will love the high quality handmade Turkish ceramic tableware selection that is produced by well-recognized ceramic artists using traditional Iznik and Anatolian techniques. In the 16^th century, the city of Iznik developed a decorative style characterized by geometric designs and flowers, particularly tulips. If you’ve ever visited any of the mosques in Turkey, you will probably have noticed the dark red and turquoise hues of the famous Iznik tiles that were popular during the Ottoman Empire. The Iznik style continues to be popular today with the colours and designs replicated on ceramic tableware.

If you cannot go to the Grand Bazaar, the jewellery of the bazaar and the tiny back-street shops of Istanbul will come to you! Take a look at the website for gorgeous semi-precious necklaces with old Ottoman coins, copper and glass earrings and glass and stone bead necklaces.

Yuksel’s Turkishwares’ Turkish cushion covers are luxury, bespoke, quality items made from Uzbek woven silk Suzani, cotton Ikat or sets of covers that can be found in the local markets of Istanbul. These are really the best examples of Turkish designer textiles designed by a Turkish artist, sewn by Turkish seamstresses, showing Anatolian kilim motifs and hand-embroidered by Uzbek women in Uzbekistan.

A kilim motif is a decorative pattern or design to depict different things such as marriage, the desire to marry, motherhood, fertility, manhood, leadership, intelligence or happiness. There are many motifs for protection such as the eye motif, a cross, a hook, scorpion, dragon, hand, finger or comb. Traditionally, tree motifs are for immortality and the many different bird motifs are generally a symbol for good luck.

An alternative choice of cushion cover sets show the same designs, but are produced in larger quantities in a Turkish textile factory.

The quality of each product – tableware: bowls, plates or mugs; textiles: tablecloths, napkins or cushion covers; jewellery: necklaces or earrings and accessories: scarves – is remarkable and designed to please the eye of the beholder and stay forever in the heart of the owner.

Not only does Yuksel support local businesses and artisans, she is also passionate about the environment. The packaging for all her products is eco-friendly and recyclable where possible, she works with local business owners and artisans in Turkey and the UK, she buys reusable cloth materials and natural products and 95% of her Turkish producers are female small business owners. Her new online shopping experience also helps to reduce the carbon footprint, as you can get to the heart of Turkey without having to travel there to buy the authentic, traditional motifs and colours that are reflected in all of Yuksel’s products! Her commitment is to the future of the environment and the planet.

The Grand Bazaar may be your first venue of choice to buy ceramics as there are thousands of designs and colours with a range of varying qualities. But this serves to make it really difficult to buy ceramics in Turkey, not because of the lack of choice but because there is too much choice and a huge variance in quality. Turkishwares has taken the hard work out of choosing which design, which colour and the best quality. If you are looking for authentic Turkish products, the best advice that can be offered is: simply buy what you love at a price you feel you can afford and start collecting Turkish tableware to covet from Turkishwares.