Shop of UNESCO award-winning filigree master robbed

A shop of a UNESCO award-winning filigree (telkâri) master has been robbed by thieves who stole nearly seven kilos of silver handicrafts - a result of 20 years of meticulous hard work - in the southeastern province of Mardin.

Dealing with the art of silver processing for 65 years, world-famous filigree master Süphi Yerlihindi was awarded the Living Human Treasures award of UNESCO. But his years of hard work now vanished.

"I am 77 years old. Do they have the right to upset me at this age? They stole my handwork," Yerlihindi told reporters while showing the empty shelves that were once filled with silver filigree works.

Noting that there was not a single gram of silver left in his shop, the master said that he was still in a state of discomfiture and his health had deteriorated due to the theft.

He said that the criminals would be exposed if the Mardin police authorities find a clue.

Filigree is a silver embroidery art that consists of combining fine silver wires, a handicraft that is very common in Mardin, especially among Assyrians.

It still maintains its existence as a widespread handicraft branch despite the number of masters, like Yerlihindi, one of the oldest filigree masters of the cosmopolitan city, is decreasing day by day.

telkari, Suphi Yerlihindi,