The third craft that has always been much respected in Turkey is pottery. Scientists are uncertain where exactly pottery first appeared. Probably, in different places simultaneously. However, undoubtedly, Turks are the best potters on Earth. Turkish clay crockery is not mere crockery – it is chedeuvre! Anybody visiting the clay crockery halls in the museum of archaeology in Istanbul will be convinced of this.
Well, I saw the whole process of potters’ production in flesh near Izmir (formerly, Pergam). That was a small workshop, and hospitable Turks let me feel myself a potter as well, carefully implying that I buy something, of course.
"Sit by the potter’s wheel," they said, "and try to make something."
It is hardly possible that you make something, but how difficult their job it will be apparent at once. Take that heavy stone wheel that has to rotate. You will work hard to rotate it quickly enough without training. Therefore, to make something for a complete amateur is almost impossible. Yet, it is worth trying.
"Now I’ll show you something," the potter said holding an ornamented plate in his hands.
And he hit the thing strongly with a metal spoon. Everyone leaned forward in fright to see the cracks. There were none, but the pleasant sound that plate produced lasted quite long. Such crockery is called" singing", here. It produces musical sounds, is very hard to break, and can be hanged on a wall like a painting. Bigger versions of such plates have been in Sultans’ palaces by to-day. Think of the times when Turks used to bring the crockery from China and India. Quickly did they learn how to make it even better than their teachers.
"Come back," our masters told us, "Our crockery never get cracked..."
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