27.01.2026 11:26
In the Oğuzeli district of Gaziantep, women trainees in a workshop opened by the municipality and the District Public Education Directorate are producing toys of 'Ezo Gelin', a symbol of the city, which has been the subject of films due to her beauty, longing for the homeland, and love. Through this, the women are both preserving their culture and supporting their household economies.
A workshop was opened by the Oğuzeli Municipality and the District Public Education Directorate in Gaziantep to ensure women's employment in the district. The 12 women trainees in the workshop produce Ezo Gelin dolls. The clothes belonging to women from the Anatolian Turkmen tribes living in the villages of the Barak Plain, which includes the districts of Karkamış, Oğuzeli, and Nizip, as well as some regions in northern Syria, come to life in the dolls called Ezo Gelin. The produced dolls are offered for sale through the municipality. The 12 women contribute to both preserving the region's culture and supporting their family economies.
"EZO GELIN PASSED AWAY WITH HOMELAND LONGING"
The master instructor of the course, Birgül Ballıoğlu, stated about the work, "I have been working at the Oğuzeli Public Education Directorate for 10 years. I have been providing the Ezo Gelin doll-making course for 5 years. It is a joint project between our Oğuzeli Municipality and the Public Education Directorate. It is a registered product. Ezo Gelin was born in the Uruş village of Oğuzeli in the 1900s. She became famous for her beauty and courage. She married Şitto Hanifi through the custom of 'berdel' but could not maintain her marriage and went to Syria as a bride a few years later. Then, longing for her homeland, she contracted an illness in Syria and passed away there. Upon her will, her grave was brought back here with the permission of the governorship. Currently, her grave is in Uruş village, and we also have a museum there that we created," she said.
"NOT JUST A DOLL, A CULTURAL HERITAGE SYMBOLIZING STRONG WOMEN"
Ballıoğlu stated that they contribute to women's family economies with the produced Ezo Gelin toys, saying, "Here, together with the women, we are trying to carry our culture with the support of the Oğuzeli Municipality. The Ezo Gelin doll is not just a doll; it is a cultural heritage symbolizing the sacrifice, elegance, and strength of Anatolian women. In this course, we are also trying to weave our culture stitch by stitch and pass it on to new generations," she said.
"OUR WOMEN CONTRIBUTE TO THE HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY"
Ballıoğlu, who said, "We are also providing employment for our ladies," stated, "Our women have additional income, contributing to the household economy. It is a patented and registered product of our municipality. We produce these here in the workshop and present them to our municipality. Their sales are carried out, providing additional income for our women. Since we live in a small place, the job opportunities for our women are limited. Here, they learn a job. If they want, they can later advance this and open their own businesses," she expressed.
"WE WEAVE STITCH BY STITCH"
Birgül Ballıoğlu stated that the Ezo Gelin doll is produced entirely by hand, saying, "There are 12 women in our course, and our course duration is 1 year. A woman can produce only one doll a day. The dolls come to us in a naked state. From the headscarf to the dress, everything is completely handmade. It is a bit labor-intensive. We weave stitch by stitch," she said.
"THE SALES PROCESS IS THE MUNICIPALITY'S"
Ballıoğlu stated that the promotion and sales of Ezo Gelin dolls are carried out by the Oğuzeli Municipality, saying, "We produce here and deliver to the municipality. Our municipality either gifts them or sells them itself. Our sales are also made through our municipal facilities and website. We thank our Oğuzeli Mayor Bekir Öztekin for providing employment for our women," she concluded.