Textile of the Month
Bag
Turkey, Bergama region
First half of the 20th century




This double bag was woven by the Yüncü people who live in the northwestern part of Turkey, near Bergama and Balikesir. The Yüncü were known for the wool that they exported and sold to other tribes. In fact, yüncü means wool producer or trader.
This bag would have been extremely useful in daily life - it could be worn over a person's shoulders or hung over a saddle on a donkey, and could carry a variety of items.

Yüncü
textiles are typically made of red and blue wool. This particular bag also has green, orange, purple, white, and yellow accents. The back is decorated with multi-colored stripes. The tassels are made of horse hair and are attached to the bag by braids topped by a handmade glass bead. The tassels have been dyed pink, blue, red, and orange; the black, white, and off-white tassels are probably undyed.

The Textile Museum 2001.7.5
Gift of John and Donna Sommer


© 2003 THE TEXTILE MUSEUM

Each month we will highlight a different textile from the Museum's collection.