U okviru CNN-ovog serijala “On the Road” – “Na putu” koja donosi bolji uvid u običaje i kulturu zemalja širom sveta, jedna od emisija posvećena je Pirotskom ćilimu. Do kraja decembra CNN International istražuje mesta, ljudi i strasti jedinstvene u Srbiji.

Izvod iz teksta

U stražnjoj sobi male kuće u Pirotu, u jugoistočnoj Srbiji, šačica žena se bori da sačuva drevnu veštinu tkanja ćilima.   Nekad slavljeni širom Evrope zbog svoje lepote, Pirotski čilimi krasili su zidove i podove srpskih kraljevskih palata, kao i kuće urbane elite. Pirot, Nekada uspešan trgovinski centar na putu karavana između istoka i zapada. Međutim, od 5.000 tkalja od pre jednog veka sada je ovaj zanat pod pretnjom izumiranja, sa samo 10 žena koje i dalje čuvajući tradiciju. Tkanje Pirotskog ćilima je naše blago koje se prenosi sa generacije na generaciju. Ovo znanje i veštinu naučila sam od majke i moje bake, kaže Slavica Ćirić, koja je osnovala zadrugu Damsko srce,  sa lokalnim ženama u 2009., u pokušaju da zaustavi odlazak u zaborav  veštine koja je njegovana kroz vekove.

Majstorstvo zanatskih pirotskih ćilima ogleda se u tome da su oni veoma tanki, ali izuzetno gusti, a tvrdi se da traju duže od jednog veka. Imaju dve identične strane i geografski su zaštićeni, što znači da se mogu proizvoditi samo u pirotskom kraju, i od pirotskih ovaca – retka vrsta sa samo nekoliko stada ovaca računajući samo 250 preostalih. Tkanje je mukotrpan posao. To zahteva preciznost, geometrijski vrhovnu veštinu i kreativnost u jednakoj meri. Sve se radi ručno samo, a na isti način kao i pre nekoliko stotina godina. Potrebne su dve tkalje koji rade zajedno mesec dana da stvori manje od jednog kvadratnog metra.
By Milena Veselinovic, for CNN
December 22, 2014 — Updated 1131 GMT (1931 HKT)

Editor’s note: CNN’s On the Road series brings you a greater insight into the customs and culture of countries across the world. Until the end of December CNN International explores the places, people and passions unique to Serbia. Read CNN’s special reports policy.

Pirot, Serbia (CNN) — In the backroom of a small house in Pirot in southeastern Serbia, a handful of women are fighting to keep an ancient craft alive.

Their dexterous fingers race up and down large wooden looms, weaving the bold geometric patterns distinct to Pirot carpets.

Once celebrated throughout Europe for their beauty, Pirot carpets graced the walls and floors of Serbian royal palaces, as well homes of the urban elite. Weaved for over four centuries in the town after which they were named — Pirot, once a thriving trade center on the caravan route between east and west — they were ceremonially rolled out for state visits, and given to foreign dignitaries.

However, what was a thriving craft practiced by 5,000 weavers a century ago is now under threat of extinction, with only 10 women still keeping the tradition going.

“Pirot carpet weaving is our treasure which is passed on from generation to generation. It’s the knowledge I learned from my mother and my grandmother,” says Slavica Ciric who founded the Lady’s Heart cooperative in Pirot with local women in 2009, to try to stop the skills nurtured throughout centuries from passing into oblivion.

“Carpet weaving is in our DNA,” she continues. “We were born on carpets and we grew up in houses filled with Pirot carpets.”

Mastery of craft

Pirot carpets are very thin but extremely dense, and are said to last more than a century. They have two identical sides and are geographically protected, which means that they can only be made in the Pirot area, and out of Pirot sheep — a rare breed with only a few flocks counting just 250 sheep remaining.

Weaving is painstaking work. It requires geometrical precision, supreme skill and creativity in equal measure. Everything is done by hand only, and in the same way as hundreds of years ago. It takes two weavers working simultaneously a month to create less than one square meter.