These are the pieces Ipekçi included in large numbers in his 1992 embroidery collection called ‘Suzeni’, a Persian word meaning ‘needlework’, a form of decorative embroidery that started in Iran and was later picked up by the Uzbeks, Turkmens and Ottomans. ‘Five years ago the Uzbeks, Turkmens, Kyrgyz and Tatars started reviving our authentic ancient culture. Fifty years ago there wasn’t anything called Uzbek work, but when you stroll through the Grand Bazaar today you can see motifs going back to our Asian roots.’

‘IN THE TIME OF THE GYPSIES’
Each one of these pieces tells a different story, expresses different feelings. And this is what impresses Ipekçi. Pointing out the traces of the cultures assimilated and spread by the nomads in the lands through which they passed, he explains enthusiastically: ‘Look at these children’s clothes! This floral motif, for example, is the ‘flower of life’ which goes back to the earliest periods of Mesopotamia. You can see it on Byzantine gravestones, and in Roman jewellery as well.