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Today's Zaman, Turkey
Aug 2 2014
Remainders of Sultanhamam: Cozy drapers
by ARÄ°FE KABÄ°L / ISTANBUL
Ä°stanbul has inherited many things of beauty from ancient times. It
has places where people from different walks of life can find
something that interests them and where they would like to spend their
time. Some people dream of drinking tea along the coast; authors and
writers fantasize about being in CaÄ?aloÄ?lu, and merchants long for
Sultanhamam.
Located on the historical peninsula, Sultanhamam was an important area
for centuries during the Ottoman Empire, especially for the textile
trade. It was because of Sultanhamam merchants that their business
culture of keeping promises, honesty and generosity became more widely
known. Likewise, the unwritten code of trade there, known as the
Sultanhamam Rules, recommends strict business ethics rather than
finding the most profitable job that modernity values today.
Summing up what has changed over the decades, Sultanhamam's veteran
traders epitomize what has been lost. Mustafa Erdebil, a merchant at
Sultanhamam, who entered business when he was young, compares trade
life in the earlier days to now. Erdebil greets us in his shop, which
is removed from the shopping culture of the past. Although he says
that `the old taste of the place is lost,' the shop still impresses
us. Today it is difficult to see those habits in the new kind of
markets and shopping malls.
In earlier times, the imam of a mosque and shopkeepers from around
would come together and talk to each other in their shop. But today we
don't see those habits because the new generation of shopping malls
has taken the place of old-style shops.
During our visit, an imam from the mosque and neighboring shopkeepers
stopped by Erdebil's shop. They talked for a while before discussions
turned to how Sultanhamam has changed and morality been corrupted more
and more every day.
Erdebil disagrees with the imam in a friendly manner, saying: `I did
not like your sermon at the Friday prayer. You should speak about the
ethics of human morality. They have left our minds and you should
preach about it. Otherwise, it is not helpful for people.' He was met
with agreement from other shopkeepers. This type of conversation
cannot take place in the new shopping malls of today. People are not
able to voice their thoughts in those spaces, but in Sultanhamam you
can still see these strong communal relationships.
Trading is a special craft
We indulge in a chat on a number of different issues and eventually
come back to Sultanhamam, the place of trade business life. Erdebil
begins by saying: `Sultanhamam was almost the only modern part of
Ä°stanbul in the old days. People were supremely cultured, merchants
were highly qualified and people trusted each other.'
Almost all of Sultanhamam's merchants working today are continuing
their fathers' work. Erdebil is one of those merchants. His father was
a man who was trained in the strict environment of a medrese (school)
and is very prim when it comes to the rightful shares of others. `He
was so careful about behaving in the right way with his business ¦
being a merchant doesn't mean finishing a university and becoming a
merchant. Being a merchant is totally different. Sultanhamam's
environment taught us how to become real merchants because we learned
business culture, the importance of keeping promises, honesty and
generosity in Sultanhamam's trade environment,' he said.
Armenians crucial to business-learning environment
Armenians taught the values of the business of trade which they had
experienced under the Ottoman Empire. `Ottoman Armenians made
Sultanhamam a university for merchants. Ottoman Armenians dominated
the textile industry. They imported and exported all the time, a
constant presence on the world market, and today they continue to
conduct their trade honestly,' he points out.
Today there are few remaining Armenian traders in Sultanhamam.
According to Erdebil, they are the real veteran traders of
Sultanhamam. He points out that Armenian traders who migrated here
from Anatolia were happy to teach and share their experiences with
other merchants.
Erdebil also explains how they had strong relationships with Anatolian
shopkeepers. "In the past, our clients from Adana, Samsun [among many
others] came directly to us once they reached HaydarpaÅ?a [a train
station on the Anatolian side of Ä°stanbul]. They would pack their
sacks and leave them in front of our shops [for they were sure that
these bags would be safe there]. They even entrusted us with their
excess money. They wouldn't ask for their money back for months and we
would never touch this trust even if we were in terrible need of cash.
But today, if you leave money with someone, you may not find it again.
There was a trust between us and shopkeepers in those days,' he says.
`Another beauty of Sultanhamam was the relationship between the
employee and employer. The employer's priority was not profit but
decency and morality, too,' Erdebil added.
Skills to be carried into the future
The Turkish Home Textiles Industrialists and Businessmen Association
(TETSÄ°AD) has embarked on a project to protect these cultural
expressions. The project aims to carry Sultanhamam's trade values into
the future. Thus, these unwritten golden rules will be brought back to
life. A book and a documentary film have been prepared as part of this
project.
The documentary, titled `The Written Place of Golden Rules:
Sultanhamam,' traces the changes that have taken place in Sultanhamam.
The documentary focuses on the memories of 28 merchants who spent a
big part of their lives in Sultanhamam as shopkeepers and compares
them to the present state of Turkey's trade life. The merchants who
share their memories have interesting stories. They wistfully
reminisce on the virtues of the past and the unique and pleasant
environment which characterized Sultanhamam and promises to live on
for many years to come.
http://www.todayszaman.com/anasayfa_remainders-of-sultanhamam-cozy-drapers_354455.html
Aug 2 2014
Remainders of Sultanhamam: Cozy drapers
by ARÄ°FE KABÄ°L / ISTANBUL
Ä°stanbul has inherited many things of beauty from ancient times. It
has places where people from different walks of life can find
something that interests them and where they would like to spend their
time. Some people dream of drinking tea along the coast; authors and
writers fantasize about being in CaÄ?aloÄ?lu, and merchants long for
Sultanhamam.
Located on the historical peninsula, Sultanhamam was an important area
for centuries during the Ottoman Empire, especially for the textile
trade. It was because of Sultanhamam merchants that their business
culture of keeping promises, honesty and generosity became more widely
known. Likewise, the unwritten code of trade there, known as the
Sultanhamam Rules, recommends strict business ethics rather than
finding the most profitable job that modernity values today.
Summing up what has changed over the decades, Sultanhamam's veteran
traders epitomize what has been lost. Mustafa Erdebil, a merchant at
Sultanhamam, who entered business when he was young, compares trade
life in the earlier days to now. Erdebil greets us in his shop, which
is removed from the shopping culture of the past. Although he says
that `the old taste of the place is lost,' the shop still impresses
us. Today it is difficult to see those habits in the new kind of
markets and shopping malls.
In earlier times, the imam of a mosque and shopkeepers from around
would come together and talk to each other in their shop. But today we
don't see those habits because the new generation of shopping malls
has taken the place of old-style shops.
During our visit, an imam from the mosque and neighboring shopkeepers
stopped by Erdebil's shop. They talked for a while before discussions
turned to how Sultanhamam has changed and morality been corrupted more
and more every day.
Erdebil disagrees with the imam in a friendly manner, saying: `I did
not like your sermon at the Friday prayer. You should speak about the
ethics of human morality. They have left our minds and you should
preach about it. Otherwise, it is not helpful for people.' He was met
with agreement from other shopkeepers. This type of conversation
cannot take place in the new shopping malls of today. People are not
able to voice their thoughts in those spaces, but in Sultanhamam you
can still see these strong communal relationships.
Trading is a special craft
We indulge in a chat on a number of different issues and eventually
come back to Sultanhamam, the place of trade business life. Erdebil
begins by saying: `Sultanhamam was almost the only modern part of
Ä°stanbul in the old days. People were supremely cultured, merchants
were highly qualified and people trusted each other.'
Almost all of Sultanhamam's merchants working today are continuing
their fathers' work. Erdebil is one of those merchants. His father was
a man who was trained in the strict environment of a medrese (school)
and is very prim when it comes to the rightful shares of others. `He
was so careful about behaving in the right way with his business ¦
being a merchant doesn't mean finishing a university and becoming a
merchant. Being a merchant is totally different. Sultanhamam's
environment taught us how to become real merchants because we learned
business culture, the importance of keeping promises, honesty and
generosity in Sultanhamam's trade environment,' he said.
Armenians crucial to business-learning environment
Armenians taught the values of the business of trade which they had
experienced under the Ottoman Empire. `Ottoman Armenians made
Sultanhamam a university for merchants. Ottoman Armenians dominated
the textile industry. They imported and exported all the time, a
constant presence on the world market, and today they continue to
conduct their trade honestly,' he points out.
Today there are few remaining Armenian traders in Sultanhamam.
According to Erdebil, they are the real veteran traders of
Sultanhamam. He points out that Armenian traders who migrated here
from Anatolia were happy to teach and share their experiences with
other merchants.
Erdebil also explains how they had strong relationships with Anatolian
shopkeepers. "In the past, our clients from Adana, Samsun [among many
others] came directly to us once they reached HaydarpaÅ?a [a train
station on the Anatolian side of Ä°stanbul]. They would pack their
sacks and leave them in front of our shops [for they were sure that
these bags would be safe there]. They even entrusted us with their
excess money. They wouldn't ask for their money back for months and we
would never touch this trust even if we were in terrible need of cash.
But today, if you leave money with someone, you may not find it again.
There was a trust between us and shopkeepers in those days,' he says.
`Another beauty of Sultanhamam was the relationship between the
employee and employer. The employer's priority was not profit but
decency and morality, too,' Erdebil added.
Skills to be carried into the future
The Turkish Home Textiles Industrialists and Businessmen Association
(TETSÄ°AD) has embarked on a project to protect these cultural
expressions. The project aims to carry Sultanhamam's trade values into
the future. Thus, these unwritten golden rules will be brought back to
life. A book and a documentary film have been prepared as part of this
project.
The documentary, titled `The Written Place of Golden Rules:
Sultanhamam,' traces the changes that have taken place in Sultanhamam.
The documentary focuses on the memories of 28 merchants who spent a
big part of their lives in Sultanhamam as shopkeepers and compares
them to the present state of Turkey's trade life. The merchants who
share their memories have interesting stories. They wistfully
reminisce on the virtues of the past and the unique and pleasant
environment which characterized Sultanhamam and promises to live on
for many years to come.
http://www.todayszaman.com/anasayfa_remainders-of-sultanhamam-cozy-drapers_354455.html