Table napkins known as peskir are a traditional Ottoman fabric that today have fallen into oblivion in towns and are becoming steadly rarer in villages. At one time these napkins were used by everyone in Ottoman society, from sultans in their palaces to nomads in their tents. Decorative as well as functional, these long handwoven fabrics for 12 or 24 people were konown as dolak, and used at meals for large numbers, such as wedding feasts, meals or religioous feast days and large family gatherings.
With the mechanisation of the textile industry, this ancient craft gradually went into decline. So handwoven fabrics silently made way for mass produced goods. The dolaks exhibited here are the last witnesses of  a 19th century-social, and artistic tradition.

Click here to see design samples produced using this fabric.