Local 'Amazon Queens' gaining income through crafts

Products inspired by Amazon queens in the southeastern province of Şanlıurfa's Harran district are helping Turkish and Syrian women in the area provide themselves with an income.

In the Harran Municipality's family support center, disadvantaged women between the ages of 16 and 45 have been taking courses on felt, wood, toys, carpets and ceramics for 10 months. 

Around 90 women are now producing nearly 300 types of toys in the classes. 

Giving new forms to felt, the women are inspired by historic mosaics unearthed in excavations at the local site of Haleplibahçe to produce mosaic felts. 

In the ceramic courses, the women process various designs on mud and cook them in ovens. 

The products, which have been put on the market in various provinces, particularly in Istanbul, have drawn great interest to become a brand under the initiative of Harran District Gov. Temel Ayca. 

Ayca said they launched the endeavor because Harran had a high tourism potential but no souvenirs to offer tourists. 

Thinking about the women living in the region, Ayca said they conducted some positive discrimination to open the family support center. 

"In the meantime, we started giving courses to women on souvenirs. In contrast to other support centers in Turkey, Harran and Syrian women are trained together in our center. We also help Syrians integrate into the region," Ayca said. 

He said the trainees were pleased to be working together, adding that the raw materials for the products were imported from other districts and processed by the women. 

"Within a short time, our courses progressed. Then we needed to sell the products and provide income for trainees. This is why we decided to start sales under a...