If you visit the villages around Mudurnu in northwest Turkey this winter after it has been snowing, you will see mist rising towards the high hilltops, ice particles glittering on the wooden fences, pumpkins heaped on the balconies of the houses with their zinc roofs, and slender icicles hanging from the needles of the pine trees. Until a century ago Mudurnu was renowned for its needle lace that was sold all over Turkey. When Evliya Çelebi visited the town in 1640, he saw rows of needle lace shops and spoke with admiration of the beautiful trimmings in colourful designs. With the coming of the machine age this traditional cottage industry went into decline, but it is still possible to find needle lace in Mudurnu's weekly market, and local women treasure the lace and embroidery that their mothers and grandmothers before them made for their trousseaus, particularly the beautiful bridal headdresses of needle lace roses. When Nevzat Anlitan's mother died five years ago at the age of 76, her trousseau chest that she had lovingly preserved since she was a child was opened, revealing its remarkable store of treasures.

Until then no one in her family had known about the lovely embroideries and lace that it contained. Each of the wonderful pieces of embroidery on silk and linen must have taken months of loving work to complete. They are a world away from the modern needlework made to sell cheaply, its original motifs debased into simple designs worked in metal strip on poor quality black muslin, or in faded colours to give a deceptive appearance of age. Anlitan's mother Mukaddes Haným was born into the wealthy local Kaza family, and upon her death her family found themselves in possession of her needlework heirlooms passed down to her from her own family. They were over 200 years old, and no one knew to whom they had originally belonged. This type of embroidery is no longer made in Mudurnu, and few remain who know the symbolism of the motifs. It is thought that the embroideries may have been trousseau pieces given to Mukaddes Hanim by her paternal grandmother Leyla Hanim.

Napkins, sashes, handkerchiefs and other items are embroidered in silks of purple, pink, and light and dark green, and the designs display not only skill but the creativity of the needlewoman in compositions that are each like an abstract picture. Although mülver work has become a thing of the past, I was happy to discover that crochet and needle lace are still to be found in Mudurnu market, alongside the kanlica mushrooms (Lactarius deliciosus), homemade macaroni, cheeses and thyme water. The motifs of the local lace are countless, including almond, autumn rose, oak leaf, carnation, grape, fern, pansy (worked in purple), artificial pansy (worked in blue and pink), wheel of fate, mulberry and star. Mudurnu was a traditional centre of the mediaeval ahi fraternities of tradesmen, for whom the offering of hospitality was an essential precept, and some of these traditions have survived to the present day. For example, every Friday the Prayer of the Tradesmen is recited, and all the tradesmen still contribute to a joint fund that is used to help those in need.