Sakarya University conducts comprehensive academic and community-based projects to record, document, and preserve local folklore, traditional handicrafts, oral culture, language, and the cultural values of communities shaped by migration, ensuring the transmission of this heritage to future generations.
Traditional Handicrafts and Masters of Sakarya within the Scope of Intangible Cultural Heritage
The book “Traditional Handicrafts and Masters of Sakarya within the Scope of Intangible Cultural Heritage,” authored by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ela Taş of Sakarya University, explores 25 traditional crafts practiced in Sakarya Province—such as weaving, saddlery, pack-saddle making, sericulture, and rope making—maintained through traditional production methods. The study documents these crafts through interviews with the masters who continue these traditions, aiming to preserve and transmit endangered handicrafts to future generations.
Department of Traditional Turkish Arts
Within the Faculty of Fine Arts at Sakarya University, the Department of Traditional Turkish Arts provides hands-on education in traditional art forms such as calligraphy, illumination, miniature painting, marbling (ebru), tile making, and carpet weaving. The department not only teaches these arts but also contributes to the preservation of cultural heritage through restoration, conservation, and contemporary interpretation projects. Each year, exhibitions and workshops are organized to present modern interpretations of Turkish decorative arts to the public.
Sakarya City Memory – Digital Cultural Heritage Archive
The “Sakarya City Memory” project, carried out by Sakarya University, aims to document and digitally preserve the city’s cultural and historical heritage for public access. Within the scope of the project, Sakarya’s historical buildings, cultural values, traditional lifestyles, folk narratives, handicrafts, and other elements that shape the city’s collective memory are archived in photographic, textual, and documentary formats.
This initiative serves as an important digital resource for preserving local culture and passing it on to future generations. The platform is open to researchers, students, and the public, aiming to make Sakarya’s cultural identity more visible and accessible.
The project “Past and Present: The Ada Manavs,”
The project “Past and Present: The Ada Manavs,” carried out by the Sakarya University State Conservatory, documents the musical culture, folk dances, traditional clothing, and lifestyle of the Manav community through field research, thereby contributing to the preservation of oral and visual folk culture.
Through these integrated initiatives, Sakarya University records, preserves, and revitalizes intangible cultural heritage at both local and national levels. Projects focusing on traditional handicrafts, digital cultural archiving, Turkish decorative arts, and the Ada Manav community make significant contributions to preserving cultural diversity and ensuring the intergenerational transmission of knowledge. All outputs are publicly accessible through the university’s digital platforms, thereby demonstrating transparency, inclusiveness, and a strong commitment to SDG 11.4 and SDG 11.7.
