Basket weaver Halil Asar keeps family craft alive in Mardin

Basket weaver Halil Asar keeps family craft alive in Mardin

Seventy-two-year-old basket weaver Halil Asar works on a traditional handmade basket to earn his living and preserve the nearly extinct craft passed down from his father, inside his home in the Akarsu neighborhood of Nusaybin district, in Mardin, Turkiye

Mustafa Kılıç • 23 December 2025 • update: 23 December 2025

Basket weaver Halil Asar keeps family craft alive in Mardin

MARDIN, TURKIYE - DECEMBER 14: Seventy-two-year-old basket weaver Halil Asar works on a traditional handmade basket to earn his living and preserve the nearly extinct craft passed down from his father, inside his home in the Akarsu neighborhood of Nusaybin district, in Mardin, Turkiye, on December 14, 2025. Asar is one of the last artisans continuing the production of traditional baskets that were once widely used in the region. He sells the handmade baskets to meet local needs while striving to keep the centuries-old craft of basket weaving alive as part of the area’s cultural heritage. ( Mustafa Kılıç - Anadolu Agency )Mustafa Kılıç

Basket weaver Halil Asar keeps family craft alive in Mardin

Basket weaver Halil Asar keeps family craft alive in Mardin

MARDIN, TURKIYE - DECEMBER 14: Seventy-two-year-old basket weaver Halil Asar works on a traditional handmade basket to earn his living and preserve the nearly extinct craft passed down from his father, inside his home in the Akarsu neighborhood of Nusaybin district, in Mardin, Turkiye, on December 14, 2025. Asar is one of the last artisans continuing the production of traditional baskets that were once widely used in the region. He sells the handmade baskets to meet local needs while striving to keep the centuries-old craft of basket weaving alive as part of the area’s cultural heritage. ( Mustafa Kılıç - Anadolu Agency )Mustafa Kılıç

Basket weaver Halil Asar keeps family craft alive in Mardin

Basket weaver Halil Asar keeps family craft alive in Mardin

MARDIN, TURKIYE - DECEMBER 14: Seventy-two-year-old basket weaver Halil Asar works on a traditional handmade basket to earn his living and preserve the nearly extinct craft passed down from his father, inside his home in the Akarsu neighborhood of Nusaybin district, in Mardin, Turkiye, on December 14, 2025. Asar is one of the last artisans continuing the production of traditional baskets that were once widely used in the region. He sells the handmade baskets to meet local needs while striving to keep the centuries-old craft of basket weaving alive as part of the area’s cultural heritage. ( Mustafa Kılıç - Anadolu Agency )Mustafa Kılıç

Basket weaver Halil Asar keeps family craft alive in Mardin

Basket weaver Halil Asar keeps family craft alive in Mardin

MARDIN, TURKIYE - DECEMBER 14: Seventy-two-year-old basket weaver Halil Asar works on a traditional handmade basket to earn his living and preserve the nearly extinct craft passed down from his father, inside his home in the Akarsu neighborhood of Nusaybin district, in Mardin, Turkiye, on December 14, 2025. Asar is one of the last artisans continuing the production of traditional baskets that were once widely used in the region. He sells the handmade baskets to meet local needs while striving to keep the centuries-old craft of basket weaving alive as part of the area’s cultural heritage. ( Mustafa Kılıç - Anadolu Agency )Mustafa Kılıç

Basket weaver Halil Asar keeps family craft alive in Mardin

Basket weaver Halil Asar keeps family craft alive in Mardin

MARDIN, TURKIYE - DECEMBER 14: Seventy-two-year-old basket weaver Halil Asar works on a traditional handmade basket to earn his living and preserve the nearly extinct craft passed down from his father, inside his home in the Akarsu neighborhood of Nusaybin district, in Mardin, Turkiye, on December 14, 2025. Asar is one of the last artisans continuing the production of traditional baskets that were once widely used in the region. He sells the handmade baskets to meet local needs while striving to keep the centuries-old craft of basket weaving alive as part of the area’s cultural heritage. ( Mustafa Kılıç - Anadolu Agency )Mustafa Kılıç

Basket weaver Halil Asar keeps family craft alive in Mardin

Basket weaver Halil Asar keeps family craft alive in Mardin

MARDIN, TURKIYE - DECEMBER 14: Seventy-two-year-old basket weaver Halil Asar works on a traditional handmade basket to earn his living and preserve the nearly extinct craft passed down from his father, inside his home in the Akarsu neighborhood of Nusaybin district, in Mardin, Turkiye, on December 14, 2025. Asar is one of the last artisans continuing the production of traditional baskets that were once widely used in the region. He sells the handmade baskets to meet local needs while striving to keep the centuries-old craft of basket weaving alive as part of the area’s cultural heritage. ( Mustafa Kılıç - Anadolu Agency )Mustafa Kılıç

Basket weaver Halil Asar keeps family craft alive in Mardin

Basket weaver Halil Asar keeps family craft alive in Mardin

MARDIN, TURKIYE - DECEMBER 14: Seventy-two-year-old basket weaver Halil Asar works on a traditional handmade basket to earn his living and preserve the nearly extinct craft passed down from his father, inside his home in the Akarsu neighborhood of Nusaybin district, in Mardin, Turkiye, on December 14, 2025. Asar is one of the last artisans continuing the production of traditional baskets that were once widely used in the region. He sells the handmade baskets to meet local needs while striving to keep the centuries-old craft of basket weaving alive as part of the area’s cultural heritage. ( Mustafa Kılıç - Anadolu Agency )Mustafa Kılıç

Basket weaver Halil Asar keeps family craft alive in Mardin

Basket weaver Halil Asar keeps family craft alive in Mardin

MARDIN, TURKIYE - DECEMBER 14: Seventy-two-year-old basket weaver Halil Asar works on a traditional handmade basket to earn his living and preserve the nearly extinct craft passed down from his father, inside his home in the Akarsu neighborhood of Nusaybin district, in Mardin, Turkiye, on December 14, 2025. Asar is one of the last artisans continuing the production of traditional baskets that were once widely used in the region. He sells the handmade baskets to meet local needs while striving to keep the centuries-old craft of basket weaving alive as part of the area’s cultural heritage. ( Mustafa Kılıç - Anadolu Agency )Mustafa Kılıç

Basket weaver Halil Asar keeps family craft alive in Mardin

Basket weaver Halil Asar keeps family craft alive in Mardin

MARDIN, TURKIYE - DECEMBER 14: Seventy-two-year-old basket weaver Halil Asar works on a traditional handmade basket to earn his living and preserve the nearly extinct craft passed down from his father, inside his home in the Akarsu neighborhood of Nusaybin district, in Mardin, Turkiye, on December 14, 2025. Asar is one of the last artisans continuing the production of traditional baskets that were once widely used in the region. He sells the handmade baskets to meet local needs while striving to keep the centuries-old craft of basket weaving alive as part of the area’s cultural heritage. ( Mustafa Kılıç - Anadolu Agency )Mustafa Kılıç

Basket weaver Halil Asar keeps family craft alive in Mardin

Basket weaver Halil Asar keeps family craft alive in Mardin

MARDIN, TURKIYE - DECEMBER 14: Seventy-two-year-old basket weaver Halil Asar works on a traditional handmade basket to earn his living and preserve the nearly extinct craft passed down from his father, inside his home in the Akarsu neighborhood of Nusaybin district, in Mardin, Turkiye, on December 14, 2025. Asar is one of the last artisans continuing the production of traditional baskets that were once widely used in the region. He sells the handmade baskets to meet local needs while striving to keep the centuries-old craft of basket weaving alive as part of the area’s cultural heritage. ( Mustafa Kılıç - Anadolu Agency )Mustafa Kılıç

Basket weaver Halil Asar keeps family craft alive in Mardin

Basket weaver Halil Asar keeps family craft alive in Mardin

MARDIN, TURKIYE - DECEMBER 14: Seventy-two-year-old basket weaver Halil Asar works on a traditional handmade basket to earn his living and preserve the nearly extinct craft passed down from his father, inside his home in the Akarsu neighborhood of Nusaybin district, in Mardin, Turkiye, on December 14, 2025. Asar is one of the last artisans continuing the production of traditional baskets that were once widely used in the region. He sells the handmade baskets to meet local needs while striving to keep the centuries-old craft of basket weaving alive as part of the area’s cultural heritage. ( Mustafa Kılıç - Anadolu Agency )Mustafa Kılıç

Basket weaver Halil Asar keeps family craft alive in Mardin

Basket weaver Halil Asar keeps family craft alive in Mardin

MARDIN, TURKIYE - DECEMBER 14: Seventy-two-year-old basket weaver Halil Asar works on a traditional handmade basket to earn his living and preserve the nearly extinct craft passed down from his father, inside his home in the Akarsu neighborhood of Nusaybin district, in Mardin, Turkiye, on December 14, 2025. Asar is one of the last artisans continuing the production of traditional baskets that were once widely used in the region. He sells the handmade baskets to meet local needs while striving to keep the centuries-old craft of basket weaving alive as part of the area’s cultural heritage. ( Mustafa Kılıç - Anadolu Agency )Mustafa Kılıç

Basket weaver Halil Asar keeps family craft alive in Mardin

Basket weaver Halil Asar keeps family craft alive in Mardin

MARDIN, TURKIYE - DECEMBER 14: Seventy-two-year-old basket weaver Halil Asar works on a traditional handmade basket to earn his living and preserve the nearly extinct craft passed down from his father, inside his home in the Akarsu neighborhood of Nusaybin district, in Mardin, Turkiye, on December 14, 2025. Asar is one of the last artisans continuing the production of traditional baskets that were once widely used in the region. He sells the handmade baskets to meet local needs while striving to keep the centuries-old craft of basket weaving alive as part of the area’s cultural heritage. ( Mustafa Kılıç - Anadolu Agency )Mustafa Kılıç

Basket weaver Halil Asar keeps family craft alive in Mardin

Basket weaver Halil Asar keeps family craft alive in Mardin

MARDIN, TURKIYE - DECEMBER 14: Seventy-two-year-old basket weaver Halil Asar works on a traditional handmade basket to earn his living and preserve the nearly extinct craft passed down from his father, inside his home in the Akarsu neighborhood of Nusaybin district, in Mardin, Turkiye, on December 14, 2025. Asar is one of the last artisans continuing the production of traditional baskets that were once widely used in the region. He sells the handmade baskets to meet local needs while striving to keep the centuries-old craft of basket weaving alive as part of the area’s cultural heritage. ( Mustafa Kılıç - Anadolu Agency )Mustafa Kılıç

Basket weaver Halil Asar keeps family craft alive in Mardin

Basket weaver Halil Asar keeps family craft alive in Mardin

MARDIN, TURKIYE - DECEMBER 14: Seventy-two-year-old basket weaver Halil Asar works on a traditional handmade basket to earn his living and preserve the nearly extinct craft passed down from his father, inside his home in the Akarsu neighborhood of Nusaybin district, in Mardin, Turkiye, on December 14, 2025. Asar is one of the last artisans continuing the production of traditional baskets that were once widely used in the region. He sells the handmade baskets to meet local needs while striving to keep the centuries-old craft of basket weaving alive as part of the area’s cultural heritage. ( Mustafa Kılıç - Anadolu Agency )Mustafa Kılıç

Basket weaver Halil Asar keeps family craft alive in Mardin

Basket weaver Halil Asar keeps family craft alive in Mardin