TURKEY & SOMALIA: MEERSCHAUM-CARVED IN STONE

Meerschaum, also known as sepiolite, is a soft porous snow-white mineral that for hundreds of years has been carved by master artisans into beautiful sculptures, jewelry, and most notably tobacco pipes.  Meerschaum is mined and carved in two distinct global locations; Eskişehir, Turkey and El Buur, Somalia. Recently, El Buur was liberated from the terrorist organization Al Shabaab by the Somali military after ten years of occupation. If properly managed and introduced to a larger market, the potential meerschaum business in Somalia can be a major contributor to economic growth, job opportunity, and political stability.

In 2024, the HASAN field team will visit Eskişehir, Turkey, to see how the Meerschaum community is trying to hold onto a crucial element of Turkey’s cultural heritage and past. They will then take two premiere Turkish carvers to El Buur to mentor Somali carvers on advanced carving techniques and tools. The HASAN team will work to set up a cooperative to assist the citizens of El Buur to get their meerschaum carvings visible on the global market.