Traditional prayer bead craftsmanship in the southeastern city of Mardin is being carried into the future with academic backing, as a local university moves to formalize and preserve an art form rooted in centuries of history.
Mardin Artuklu University has launched Türkiye’s first higher-education program dedicated to prayer bead design and production, following approval by the Council of Higher Education on July 1, 2025.
Once made by stringing bone, stone and beads, prayer beads today are crafted from agate, gold, silver, animal horn and bone, as well as hard, fragrant woods.
To build the program’s foundations, the university organized a certified prayer bead-making and design techniques course through its education center, in cooperation with tradespeople and artisans.
Strong demand led organizers to double enrollment from 12 to 24 participants, with training structured in two three-month phases. Participants include academics, sculptors, artisans, master bead makers, students and three women trainees.
Training takes place in a dedicated workshop beneath the rectorate building, led by master artists İbrahim Çamurdaş and Ahmet Özkurt. The curriculum combines theory and practice, covering measurement, form, color, harmony, stringing techniques and original design processes.
University rector İbrahim Özcoşar described prayer beads as one of humanity’s oldest artistic and devotional forms, frequently encountered in archaeological findings.
Özcoşar noted that the initiative aims not only to safeguard cultural heritage but also to transform prayer bead artistry into an academic discipline and economic asset, particularly given its export potential to Gulf countries.
