Social Sciences and Humanities Open, cilt.12, 2025 (Scopus)
This study investigates the potential of Ehram fabric, one of Turkey's cultural heritage elements, to become a touristic product within the scope of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH). Ehram fabric, a traditional textile unique to the Erzurum province located in Turkey's Eastern Anatolia Region, is woven by women on looms using yarns made from sheep's wool. Beyond being merely a traditional garment fabric, Ehram represents women's labor, cultural identity, and traditional knowledge transmitted across generations. This tradition falls under the category of traditional craftsmanship mentioned in UNESCO's 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.
Within the scope of this study, the challenges encountered in the processes of production, marketing, and sustainability in Ehram weaving were identified, and recommendations were made for the commercialization of this handicraft as a touristic product. To achieve these objectives, semi-structured interviews were conducted with producers, non-governmental organizations, public institutions, educational organizations, and consumers. The interviews addressed the unique characteristics, cultural sustainability, marketing, and promotional processes of Ehram fabric, and the collected data were analyzed using the MAXQDA software program.
The findings revealed various obstacles in the Ehram weaving tradition, such as insufficient promotion, limited product diversity, difficulties in sourcing raw materials, the inability to train new apprentices, and marketing challenges. The results indicated the necessity of raising awareness, training apprentices to ensure the transmission of production techniques to future generations, and increasing governmental support. In this process, strengthening cooperation among stakeholders is of critical importance for preserving the tradition while providing social and economic benefits to the local community. Recognizing Ehram as an element of intangible cultural heritage and integrating it into the tourism market will contribute to both the sustainability of traditional production and the preservation of cultural identity.