ALACA WEAVE

Alaca means multicolored with two or more colors and has a striped pattern. There are records about alaca and its varieties in the Narh Register dated 1640 and the Es’ar Register dated 1640. In these records, Manisa Alaca and Tire Alaca are frequently mentioned. In some places in Anatolia, alaca is also called alaca bez, alacalı dokuma, beşparmak, çizgili, yollu, çubuklu, altıparmak, altınoluk, and sopalı. Generally cotton and rarely silk materials are used in alaca. Alaca is woven in plain technique with materials such as cotton, silk, and linen using warp threads of different colors. It is among the most frequently woven fabrics in all regions since ancient times. It is woven in plain weave. It is usually red- and yellow striped. It is also woven in colors such as dark red/burgundy, straw color, dark blue/navy blue, and green. It is generally striped and square patterned and striped ones are woven in Gaziantep while squared ones are woven in Tokat. In addition, in Burdur, there are examples patterned with colorful wefts which are locally called Burdur Alaca. Alaca weaves have been used in shalwar, loose robe, üçetek, mintan (chainse), shirt, cardigan, caftan, wedding dress, headscarf, bundle, cushion, bedspread, and tablecloth production. In the past, they were woven in places such as Amasya-Merzifon, Ankara-Nallıhan, Antalya-Gazipaşa, Aydın, Burdur, Bursa, Denizli-Buldan, Diyarbakır, Erzurum, Erzincan, Gaziantep, İstanbul, İzmir-Tire, Kastamonu, Konya-Beyşehir, Malatya-Arapkir, Manisa, Mersin, Tokat, Denizli-Tavas-Kızılcabölük. Today, the production of alaca weave continues in Tokat, Burdur, and Gaziantep.