The peshtemal towel is synonymous with Turkish bathing culture. The thinly woven sheet is widely used in hamams and bath houses around the world, but has become increasingly popular around the world for its durability and ability to absorb water quickly.

The sound of the loom is the signature song of the town of Buldan, a well-known weaver's enclave in the inner Aegean region of Denizli, Turkey where the tradition is believed to date to Roman times as far back as 800 BC. For much of the past, cotton sourced from nearby fields traveled into the village where nearly every home had a hand loom and at least one family member contributing to the making of local peshtemal garments and towels. Today, much of the work is done by modern machines in large, regional factories, while only a small group of weavers, from ages twenty to ninety-three, continue to make the homespun creations by hand or by mechanized work benches.