Turkish knifesmith keeps up tradition

By Abdullah Coskun

KONYA, Turkey (AA) - A knifesmith in Turkey’s central province of Konya is preserving the traditional way of making knives.

Hailing from a family of knifesmiths in Taskent district, 47-year-old Ali Camtas still forges steel through traditional methods.

According to buyers’ preferences, he customizes each knife's specifications and uses deer antlers, rosewood, or olive tree wood for the handles. The sheathes are made of leather.

In his small workshop, Camtas deals with every stage of production, including lighting the furnace and forging the steel on his own.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, he noted that he started learning the profession from his father when he was six or seven years old.

To be able to continue the profession, he did not study after junior high school, he said.

Camtas remarked that the traditional way of forging steel ensures the durability of the knife.

"Knives with wooden handles can wear out quickly when they enter the water. Recently, with the advent of dishwashers, demand for wooden handled knives has decreased. Even if the sector has shifted towards the production of plastic knives, we do not go beyond our traditional standards. We try to keep this profession alive," he added.

*Writing by Ahmet Gencturk in Ankara