SAVAÎ

Savaî is a type of fabric woven with silk and gold thread. It was woven in Bursa and İstanbul. Topkapı Palace Museum has several rolls of it. They have stamps in small rectangular frames. These stamps do not have a clear meaning. It can be the emblem of Üsküdar weaving, or it can be a stylized form of the Ottoman word “Selimiye”. In any case, it can be argued that the name “Üsküdar” is a general name given to the fabrics woven in this region, including Selimiye and Savaî. From the 18th century onwards, Turkish art started to be influenced by the West. In clothing, the influences were first reflected in accessories. The caftans sewn from fabrics such as Selimiye and Savaî, the products of the late Ottoman period cloth-making, were decorated with bright yellow gilding, embroideries, and wide laces brought from Europe. Savaî, woven with silk warp and weft, has colorful, small floral patterns on a sliding axis on the plain ground. Fine metal wire or gold thread was used only for flowers, and this process took a lot of time during weaving, as each flower on the loom was woven with separate reinforcing wefts. Savaîs were woven in cream, black, naphtha green, pink, and red. They were used as caftans, shalwars, and dresses. There are also savaîs with paths. In this respect, they are similar to Selimiyes, but they are made of lighter silk compared to them. Also, the patterning made with warps drawn in the paths is seen as a feature distinguishing them from Selimiyes. In fact, Selimiyes and Savaîs have been mixed with each other until today.