Kemeraltı · İzmir · Since 1995

Welcome to our shop

Yertan Collection is the shop of Nigar Yertan, a traditional handicraft artist, inside the historic Kızlarağası Hanı in Kemeraltı, İzmir. We have been in the han since 1995.

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Türkçe site

The stone arch entrance of Yertan Collection in Kızlarağası Hanı, with the shop sign and handmade pieces

Who we are

Needle lace, made by our own hands

Nigar Yertan learned needle lace (iğne oyası) from her grandmother as a child. She designs every flower herself and makes the pieces with a small team.

We change the use, never the essence: old techniques stay the same, while the pieces become earrings, necklaces and coasters you can use today.

In the shop

What you will find

Needle lace earrings, necklaces and brooches
Designs that mix lace and needle lace
Lace coasters and coffee serving cloths
Runners and tray cloths made from old cross-stitch work with new lace edges
Small purses and pouches, such as gold coin purses and seal pouches
Old embroidered pieces from trousseau chests, for collectors
Small gifts

Visitors from abroad especially like our lace coasters, necklaces and needle lace earrings.

Motif stories

Every motif tells a story

In the past, many feelings were not said out loud. Women spoke through the lace on the edge of their headscarves. Here are a few of the stories Nigar Yertan tells in the shop.

Peace lace

From Tarsus, the hometown of Nigar Yertan's grandmother, inspired by the flower of a thorny plant. Traditionally, after a village wedding the bride gives her mother-in-law a headscarf with this motif, as if to say: do not treat me like these thorns, let us live in peace like mother and daughter.

Joy lace (coşturan)

At the women's wedding celebration, the bride's friend wears a scarf with this lace and pulls everyone up to dance. Because she livens up the wedding, the lace is called coşturan, the joy lace.

Red pepper lace

A young bride with troubles at home would wear a scarf edged with red pepper lace when she went out. Everyone understood without a word, and the elders stepped in to help.

Clove lace

Before perfume was common, women threaded soaked cloves and fragrant seeds onto the edges of their scarves, so the scarf gave off a soft scent in the warmth. Today we turn the cloves into necklaces with turquoise beads.

Kızlarağası Hanı · Kemeraltı