Organized in cooperation with the Nicosia Yunus Emre Institute (YEI), TRNC Department of Culture, Lefke Municipality, and Lefke Aid and Community Association, 18 women from Nicosia and Lefke regions are participating in the project with the aim of bringing the art of zembil knitting back to life. At the workshop part of the project, which was launched on August 19, 2022, at the Nicosia Yunus Emre Institute, it is aimed to create a large number of works by combining traditional handicrafts and modern art elements that reveal the cultural codes of the TRNC.

Thanks to the project, it is expected that women living in the TRNC will receive art education, the art of "zembil knitting", which is among the traditional arts, will be revived, and women will become a part of the production life through these courses. In the TRNC, baskets and molds called zembil are made by weaving the leaves of date palm trees in the Lefke region. The zembil, which is one of the most popular, soft, and sturdy tools used in Cyprus before, is light because it is woven from palm branches.

In the past, it is stated that the rich and wealthy people also preferred the zembil.  Zembils are also given different names, such as shopping zembil, seed zembil, fishermen zembil, and date zembil according to their intended use. The making of the zembil, which replaced the bags, is known as an abandoned handicraft. At the end of the project, it is also planned to open an exhibition where the works produced will be shared with the public and presented to the visitors.

"WE GIVE TRADITIONAL TOUCHES TO THE ZEMBIL"

Project Coordinator Esin Sevgin said that the project combines 3 ancient arts and said, "We give traditional touches to the zembil. Wood printing is another forgotten art of the TRNC after the 1970s. The fact that the participants in the project are teachers is also important in terms of teaching these traditional arts to others." Sevgin stated that in addition to the promotion of the zembil, the fact that the products made by women will be sold will also contribute to the participants. Lefke Mayor Aziz Kaya pointed out that the date palm is one of the symbols of the Lefke region and reminded that mining was carried out in the region for a long time, and zembils made of date palm trees were used to extract the mine from underground. Kaya stated that women were trained to make zembil from dates with the project and that they were pleased with the cooperation.

"ZEMBİL WAS A PRODUCT THAT IS THE HISTORY OF THE TURKISH CYPRIOTS AND A DOMINATING PRODUCT IN ANATOLIA"

Abdullah Aktaş, Nicosia Yunus Emre Institute Coordinator, said that they are trying to establish cultural ties between Turkey and the culture of the countries where the Yunus Emre Institute is located and that their activities in the TRNC started in 2015. Aktaş said, "We strive to reveal the cultural values that exist in the countries where we operate, and if possible, to increase the awareness of these values among countries. At this point, the zembil was also a dominating product in the past of the Turkish Cypriots and in Anatolia. Zembil is a very valuable product for the TRNC, especially in Lefke, we see that date palm trees are planted to make this product. We are trying to bring it to modern life." Emel Yılmaz, Head of the Lefke Aid and People's Association, drew attention to the importance of women learning 3 traditional arts and their desire to pass them on to future generations. Yılmaz noted that one of the goals of the project is for women to produce and make a sustainable contribution to the home economy.