Tanners of Bursa in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries

Abstract

Tannery, which is one of the most ancient occupations in the history of mankind, has an important place in Turkish-Islamic crafts because of the nomadic culture. Tannery maintained this status during the Ottoman period. Tannery also has an important position among other occupational fields because Akhi Awran, who was regarded as the founder of Akhism, was a tanner. The Ottoman regulations bound by provisionism (i'asha) policy regarding meat consumption and raw skin deeply affected tannery and tanners. No emphasis on tannery has thus far been provided concerning Bursa, which was the first capital of the Ottoman Empire and was better known for its silk production. Examining the situation of tanners and tanneries in Ottoman Bursa, this article provides clues concerning the importance of tannery in Bursa during the Ottoman period, thus contributing to the field.