Longest string of prayer beads-world record
set by Mustafa Kara
[Oct 25] KONYA, India-- Mustafa Kara, a bead craftsman living
in Konya, set the new world record for the longest string of Mevlevi
prayer beads, with his 25-meter-long, 60-kilogram string of Mevlevi
prayer beads.
Kara
has been manufacturing beads and beaded craftwork in his small workshop
in the Meram district of Konya for 30 years. “In the past, these
beads were used by Mevlevi sheiks for devotion, however prayer beads
are used for decoration nowadays,” said Kara. ‘’I produced prayer
beads which are 12-meters-long and weigh eight kilograms a short
time ago. But I wanted to break my record, so I started to prepare
the materials for longer beads. The first thing I bought was a 500-kilogram
piece of pinewood,” he noted.
Kara started to work on the prayer beads, which
consist of 1,029 different parts and 999 beads, about a month ago.
‘’I
manufactured the 25-meter-long, 60-kilogram Mevlevi prayer beads
from pinewood because of pine’s beautiful color and used 360 kilograms
of wood. To move the prayer beads, three or four persons are necessary
because of its weight. People who have seen the beads are shocked.
I don’t believe that there is a similar strand of prayer beads in
the world.", said Kara.
In line with demand from his customers,
Kara produces three different types of prayer beads, with 33 beads,
99 beads and 999 beads. He noted that prayer beads draw the attention
of tourists in particular. “I have sent so many of the prayer beads
to shops all around Turkey and to Saudi Arabia. These are preferred
for use as decorations for shops that are looking to create a look
of authenticity,” he added.