Oya (a kind of lace or embroidery) is one of our traditional handicrafts and it can be defined as a knitting technique made by using various yarns and tools such as needle, crochet hook, shuttle, hairpin. Materials such as sequins, beads and fabric were added to this technique over time. Crochet lace, needle lace, shuttle lace and bead lace are mostly made in the city and district centers of İzmir. The shuttle lace is often applied on the edges of the mawlid or prayer cover. Needle lace has a special place for İzmir. Although it is made in almost every district in İzmir, the most beautiful examples of needle lace can be found in Ödemiş and Tire districts.

Embroidery, which has always had an important place in our society, is shaped according to the social, cultural and economic conditions of the societies in which it develops. As we examine its historical process, we can see that İzmir shows a wide-ranging social profile in terms of culture. This diversity is also reflected in the embroidery applications.

The embroidery examples in İzmir are generally applied on clothing items such as waistband, handkerchief, shalwar, vest and on items used in home textiles such as bedding, towel, mirror or console cover. Although embroideries prepared as dowry are common throughout İzmir, the most beautiful examples of embroideries are found in İzmir-City Center and in Karaburun, Urla, Ödemiş, Tire districts.