The Craftsmanship of Mother of Pearl Inlay is a craftsmanship of wooden ornamentation made by inlaying same shape of mother of pearl pieces into the slots opened in various forms on wooden structures.

Mother of pearl is a multi-coloured, hard, iridescent substance that forms the inner layer of the shells of molluscs such as oysters and mussels. Mother of pearl has been used by crafstpeople in decorative arts for centuries due to its lustre and durability.

It’s called “Sedefkarlık” to mother of pearl inlay and “Sedefkar” to practitioners of the element. White ocean mother of pearl, white fresh water mother of pearl taken from lakes and rivers, green and blue mother of pearl, tortoise shell and ivory used for inlaying. These mothers of pearls are applied to dark coloured wooden materials for having the best contrast. For this reason, woods such as ebony, walnut or mahogany are used in this art. Inlaying process begins with drawing motifs on a piece of wood and outlines of motifs are carved out and a metal wire is placed. Then the motifs are carved out to a depth of two or three millimetres by using gouges. In the next step, mother of pearl pieces shaped with fret saw are inlaid to the wood according to the patterns. Geometrical, floral and calligraphic motifs are often used for embellishment. In order to smoothen, the surface is wiped with sandpaper then burned for colouring and varnished with a kind of melted resin.

The craftsmanship of mother-of-pearl inlay, which continues to reflect the craftsmanship and taste of Anatolian people for centuries, is an important traditional handicraft applied in interior architectural elements as well as in daily items such as walking sticks, mirrors, clogs, frames, candle holders, combs, backgammon sets, tables, chairs, armchairs and souvuneirs.

“The Craftsmanship of Mother of Pearl Inlay” was inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity on behalf of the Türkiye and Azerbaijan  in 2023.