The Turks and earlier the Ottomans have a rich tradition for pottery and ceramics. Go travelling to Turkey and you will be either be taken to a dozen pottery factories or a dozen shops to buy a carpet. Going back from ancient Ottoman traditions of building mansions for birds, a tile factory Hitit Terra in Turkey had a new idea: turn some of the tiles for roofs into nesting boxes for birds.

Enjoy the pictures below, along with some older renditions of Turkish bird houses.

Before you buy however, read the comments from an experienced bird house builder who claims the opening of the house along with the stick is like a snack dispensary for birds. The openings need to be narrow enough for certain species of birds to enter, but not too wide that predators can get in. We also suspect that with warming climates, best be advised to put them on the roof slope away from the sun.

All handmade things, including these Tunisian tiles risk disappearing forever, along with the birds. Let’s support and do handmade so we can keep our humanity and human scale in the built world.

Image credits of 3 images above: canercangul

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Founded by Mostafa Talaat and Kareem El-Shaffei, who had $12K seed funding at their disposal when they set out to start a social marketplace for local design, CIRQY provides a platform for conscientious buyers to support Middle Eastern artists and designers.

“CIRQY brings you the hottest, creative designs that will add something new to your everyday life and allow you to express yourself differently,” according to the website.

“On CIRQY you can follow your friends and discover things together; buying, sharing, recommending and collecting your favorite items from your favorite independent artists and designers.”

On offer are art and home decor, accessories, apparel, toys, and stationery, along with various miscellanea.

Both buyers and sellers have to set up an account, but otherwise the platform is very simple to use. It’s possible to search for goods via categories or a search box.

Granted, the quality of the design is not yet as good as Etsy, and it is possible to find Middle Eastern artists and designers on Etsy. But there are some neat creations available on CIRQY that are handmade, mostly, by local artisans – and that is worth a lot.

We particularly liked the shelving made from recycled tires, some sweet dreamcatcher earrings, and a set of seats/tables made with repurposed crates. The latter makes a great gift for a college student or someone who is getting their very first apartment but don’t have a lot of money.

Sellers have to apply to participate, and it costs nothing to open their own store on the site, but they will collect a 25 percent commission when an item is sold.

:: CIRQY

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