The Imperial City of Istanbul was the seat of power of the Ottoman Empire for nearly 500 years. It was also the center for trade in the Empire. The bazaars of this cosmopolitan, ethnically diverse city were famous for the embroidered textiles produced both by men and women for sale. Men worked in workshops, mainly with expensive materials such as pearls, gold, precious, or semi-precious stones on large textiles made from heavy materials. Women worked in the haremliks (women's quarters) of their homes in the quieter and more peaceful residential side of the city. As women in cities were confined by social customs to their homes, embroidery was an appropriate way for them to pass time. It was a major part of the upbringing of a young girl, many of whom would become as skilled as their professional counterparts, and would be able to earn money as well as to furnish their own homes. Professional draftsman created designs suggesting floral forms such as tulips, carnations, hyacinths, pomegranates and arched flower branches to replicate the splendor of Ottoman gardens. Designs were transferred onto the ground fabric by tracing them using charcoal or by using templates and blocks. The nakkashane (royal design atelier) created many of these designs and motifs and distributed them to various craftsmen who used them to decorate not only textiles but also ceramics and other art forms. Makers | Methods | Functions Back to Ottoman Culture © 2001, The Textile Museum, 2320 S Street, NW; Washington, DC 20008