|
The Location of Safranbolu and Its Neighbouring
Provinces, Sub-provinces and Villages
Safranbolu
is a sub-provincial centre in the north-western Black Sea
region,located at the cross-section of the 41°16' northern
latitude and 32°41' eastern longitude. According to the
present administrative system the neighbouring provinces
are: Zonguldak, Kastamonu, Çankırı, Bolu; and the
sub-provinces are: Karabük, Eflani, Ulus, Bartın, Araç,
Eskipazar, Bulak, Tokatlı, Gayıza (İncekaya),Danaköy,
Çiftlik, Kirpe (Düzce), Yazı, Konarı, Yürük, Akveren,
Oğulveren, Davutobası, Çerçen, Hacılarobası,
Bostanbükü, Karıt, Başköy, Kılavuzlar and Kapullu are
some of the villages in the same region. Among these Bulak,
Tokatlı, Gayıza, Danaköy, Yazı, Konarı, Yürük, Karıt,
Bostanbükü and Kılavuzlar are of special significance to
Safranbolu (Safranbolu Map).
Yürük
village has long been an important centre close to
Safranbolu, with its large houses and the labour it supplies
to Istanbul, primarily in bakery.
HISTORY
The
environs of Safranbolu have been an area of settlement ever
since the Paleolithic Age. There are three large tumulus
around Eflani. Homeros refers to this area as Paphlagonia.
After the Persian and Hellenistic periods it became an even
more densely populated region during the Roman and Byzantine
eras.The 24 tumuli in the Safranbolu-Eflani region various
rock-tombs,reliefs and a Roman temple in the village of
Sipahiler, south of Safranbolu, are among the tangible
evidence of these periods. There is no trace of either the
Roman or the Byzantine era within the city of Safranbolu;
neither is there any refence to its name during these
periods. The historian Leonard suggests that Safranbolu
could be the old Germia, while according to Ainsworth, as
the city was formerly named Zafaran Boli, it could well have
been Flaviopolis which literally has the same meaning: city
of saffron5. Osman Turan writes that the city was
named Dadybra before it was taken over by the Turks.
After
the Turks came to Anatolia, the history of Safranbolu
developed in relation to that of Kastamonu. This region was
first occupied by the Turks at the the 12th
century, during the reign of the Danışmentliler. Later it
was recaptured by the Byzantines, but the Çobanoğulları
settled here at the beginning of the 13th
century. At the start, the Çobanoğulları were loyal to
the Seljuks, then, Ilhanlılar. The chieftain of Çandaroğulları
from the tribe of Kayı, established at Eflani towards the
end of the 13th century, was also loyal first to
the Seljuk to the İlhanlıs; was independent for a short
period at the beginning of the 15th
century, and stayed in power until 1461, then becoming loyal
to the Ottoamans. The name of the city is believed to be
Zalifre or Zalifra during that period. Eski Cami, Süleyman
Paşa Madrasa and Eski Hamam (Old Baths) in Safranbolu are
from the period of the Candaroğulları. All through these
periods and later in the Ottoman era, Kastamonu has always
been the regional centre. Starting from the Çandaroğulları
period, for a long time under the Ottoman rule Safranbolu
was referred to as Taraklı Borlu. The names Zağfiran
Borlu and later Zağfiranbolu were used from the start of
the 18th Century onwards
Documentary
research on the history of Safranbolu during the Ottoman
period is very scarce. Some names may emerge when we look at
its historical buildigs; Cinci Hoca,
Köprülü Mehmet Paşa, İzzet
Mehmet Paşa being among the prominent people
who have left their mark on Safranbolu.
Sources
of Building Materials
Stone
The
stone used in building construction is obtained from the
limestone rocks in the area. This hard, blue stone is
utilized also for the manufacture of good quality lime.
Another local material, "küfünk", a porous,
lightweight stone is used as infill in the wood-frame
construction and also for building chimneys; being easily
sawed into shape.
Adobe
Although
every type of soil could be used in making adobe, those made
out of the soil brought specifically from Köprücek
were preferred.
Tiles
Roof
tiles were hand-shaped in the villages of Çerçen,
Bostanbükü and Çamlıca, and burnt in kilns.
Wood
.
Looking
at the houses in Safranbolu we can see that very good
quality wood has been generously used. Even today, more than
half of the surrounding area is covered with forests. We can
definitely say that this ratio was much higher in the old
days. Today, 38 percent of the trees within the Karabük
Forestry Management Area are firs, 30 percent beeches, 20
percent pines and 9 percent oaks.
Wood
used in construction is mainly fir and pine; walnut and
poplar have also been used sparingly. Orders for the
required wood for buildings were made to mountain villages
such as Gayıza, Tokatlıköy, Danaköy, Karaevli, Susundur,
Arıcak and Başköy. They shaped the lumber which they had
already felled with axes, and then fastening them to sides
of mules brought it down mountain trails. Oxen pulled
down the thicker trees. Wood was cut either with hand saws
or at saw-mills. In the first half of the 20th
century there were three saw-mills in Danaköy.
Mortars
Lime: Good quality lime is produced from the blue
limestones in the area which are burned in the forest land
near Gayıza.
Mud
mortar: It is produced from every type of soil in the
same way as adobe clay is prepared.
HISTORICAL
BUILDINGS OF SIGNIFICANCE
No
records have yet been encountered regarding any buildings
from the Byzantine times in Safranbolu. Probably, the Hagios
Stephanos church (Ulucami) in Kıranköy was built by
Theodora. The Eski Cami mosque may have been trıansformed
from a Byzantine church. The remains of buildings belonging
to the Turks start from the Candaroğulları period.
These have undergone various repairs and transformations
through time. Only the most significant buildings are listed
below.
Religious
Buildings
There
are around 30 mosques. The oldest one is the Süleyman Paşa
Camii (Eski Cami) mosque from the Candaroğulları period
(14th century). The other most important ones are
Köprülü Mehmet Paşa mosque (1662), İzzet Mehmet Paşa
mosque (1779).
Educational
Buildings
The
Süleyman Paşa Madrasa (14th century) of which
only the foundations exist today, is the only educational
building worth noting.
Social
Buildings
Cinci
Hoca Hanı (Cinci Hodja Caravanserai 17th
century), Eski Hamam (Old Baths 14th
century), Yeni Hamam (New Baths, 17th
century). In addition to these buildings, approximately 180
fountains and 15 bridges can be listed.
Looking
at these structures, we can assume that Safranbolu began to
gain signifiance in the 14th century. It
attracted the attention of some prominent statesmen starting
from the 17th century through the 18th
century; and since then, with the increase in its own
economic power, continued to add many more buildings, mostly
small mosques and fountains, to the existing stock.
Folklore
Safranbolu
owns the richest heritage of folklore in the area. Its
traditions, customs, folk-tales, folk-songs, music and
folk-dances are each worth thorough research. We can trace
the characteristic features of the Turkish society behind
each and every one of these folkloric items.
ECONOMY
While
studying the houses of Safranbolu, their spaciousness; their
regular and steady construction; the wealth of their spatial
organization; their large gardens with numerous fruit trees
and ponds (either in open air or within pavilions); the fact
that each family owned a summer and a winter house; plus the
dignity, elegance and self-esteem of its people, all induce
us to search for the causes of this prosperity.
Agriculture
As
a result of the self sufficient economic system prevailing
in the city, each family produces its own food. This
consists of vegetables, fruit and food which is prepared and
stored for seasonal consumption. Meat, oil and sugar is
purchased from elsewhere. Most people of Safranbolu own
fields in the vicinity of the city. Formerly, there
were extensive rice fields on the land where the Iron and
Steel Factory is now situated. Wheat, barley, rice and straw
came from these fıelds cultivated by the sharecroppers.
Saffron:
As
the city takes its name from this flower and as it is still
grown in the area, it will be appropriate to dwell in more
detail on saffron. A member of the iridaceae family,
saffron is a bulbous plant, in many ways resembling
colchicum, with its pinkish purple flowers. It blooms in the
months of September and October. The tips of its female
organ (the stigma) are picked at dawn. The plant flowers a
year after being planted. After its flowers have been picked
for two succeeding years, the plant is rooted out. Tips
gathered from 100,000 flowers add up to only a weight of 1
kg.
Utilization:
Having dyeing and medicinal
properties, saffron is used in
pharmaceuticals, dyeing and also as a flavouring in cooking.
It is capable of colouring water a hundred thousand times
its weight.
History:
Homeros and Hippocrates refer to saffron. It has been
cultivated in Iran and Kashmir for ages. The Mongolians
introduced saffron to China, the Arabs to Şpain and the
Crusaders to the rest of Europe. In Ancient Greece and
Rome it was chewed for its essence and medicinal properties
and was also used as a dye.
Areas
of Cultivation: Saffron is grown in Spain, France,
Sicily, the outskir of the Appenines, Iran and Kashmir. In
Turkey it is cultivated in Istanbul, Safranbolu, Adana and
Bilecik. In three of the villages of Safranbolu (Ak Oğulveren
and Davutobası) some of the families are still engaged in s
production.
Economy:
Satisfactory records regarding the economic value of
saffron beginning of this century have not yet been
revealed. We know that at th of the 19th century
the October harvest of saffron was exported to Syri Egypt
from Safranbolu. In 1923, 3200 Ottoman liras worth of
saffron was sold to Ankara and Istanbul. Today, because the
saffron grown in Turkey does not suffice to meet the
internal demand, it is supplemented by imports
Animal
Husbandry
In
general, each household in the city owns a cow which is
mainly kept for its milk. Every morning the herd is
collected by a cowherd. The Angora goat is the most
extensively husbanded animal in the area. Yogurt and butter
are produced from milk. The male animals are preferred for
slaughter. In Safranbolu, it is not customary to consume
mutton. In autumn, "kavurma" a braised preserved
meat, is prepared from goat's meat, to be consumed during
the months when no fresh meat is available. Animal husbandry
is also important for the other by-products: wool, hair and
hide.
One
other important area of production in the old times was
bee-keeping exercised on the high plateaus. Honey was used
as a substitute for sugar while honeywax was exported.
Honeywax was also utilized locally as a subsidiary
element by the shoe-makers.
Leather
Manufacturing
The
most significant area of production in Safranbolu was
leather and leather goods. There is no records as to when
leather production actually began in Safranbolu. It can be
assumed however that the valley of the Tabakhane stream has
been used for leather-tannig, being extremely suitable from
many aspects: the topography both conceals the Unattractive
sight of the tannery and prevents the unpleasent odours from
reaching the mean settlement areas while the stream provides
a natural recipient for contaminated water. The Ottomans
were at a considerably advenced level in leater
manufacturing until the end of the 18th century.
Mordtmann notes that leather manufacturing had an economic
value for Safranbolu in 1852 and 84 tanneries are listed in
1890. Considering that the population was around 7500 during
the same period, leather tanning appears to be a very
intensive area of manufacture. Being somewhat protected from
external influences along wiht the delayed impact of
industrialization on leather manufacturing this line of
production continued to prosper in Safranbolu up to the
middle of the 20th century. Although the
guilds were abolished by law in 1910 it was quite some time
before their influence within the traditions died out. Later
the export of partly treated leather to Europe became
profitable and many a rich merchant emerged from amongst
those in this trade. According to the booklet published by
the Safranbolu Chamber of Commerce and Industry, 415 workers
were employed in a hundred tanneries. 430 people worked as
shoe-makers, slipper-makers and in leather tailoring.
Semi-manufactured leather of various kinds, graded from very
fine to coarse leather worth 84.600 Ottoman liras were
exported while 17.900 Ottoman liras worth of glazed and
patent leather was imported from Europe. Hides of cows,
bulls, goats and sheep worth 56.000 Ottoman liras were
purchased from the area. There were 16 merchants dealing in
leather goods in general and 5 merchants dealing
specifically in footwear. During the same years the
Safranbolu Tanners Company was about to complete a leather
factory which unfortunately functioned for only a very short
period.
The
change of fashion in footwear and the mass production of
less costly rubber shoes for the viillagers decreased the
importance of shoe making. The semi-manufactured leather
products products could not compete with the products
of the factories established in various places in
Anatolia. Finally, the establishment of the nearby Iron and
Steel
Factory nearly brought an end leather manufacturing.
The
Tannery: It is situated within a valley along a stream,
the Tabakhane which means tannery. It has its own mosque and
coffee-house . The chemical content of the water springing
from beneath the mosque is suitable for tanning. The hides
left in natural or man-made pits alongside the valley mature
within a certain period of time. Tanning is a time consuming
and wearying job. Those working in this field were organised
within the guild system. The best raw hides gathered from
the area were transformed into leather of the finest quality
after being treated. Traditional methods were employed in
leather treatement. Today there are two workshops using the
traditional methods which operate from time to time along
with two others utilizing machinery.
The
leather treated in the tanneries was purchased by the
shoemakers, saddlers and manufacturers of leather goods.
Arasta
(market place): The makers of lights shoes (yemeniciler)
were gathered in the arasta in their self-owned shops. There
were a total of 46 shops in the arasta. Three to five people
worked in each of the tiny shops. Hung on strings, the
light-shoes were exhibited in the shops.
Several
types of shoes for men, women and children were produced at
the beginning of the century. These were mainly sold to
shoe-merchants coming from the neighbourhood, who arrived in
Safranbolu with lots of animals and bundles. On Saturday
afternoons the shoe makers packed the shoes which they had
produced during the week into baskets and sold them to the
wholesalers, who usually dropped by once every two weeks. In
spite of the hard work which sometimes kept them busy until
dawn, the shoe makers never became rich, but managed to
sustain a modest life. Payments to the tanner were due every
November. Money was not used until then.
During
the War of Independence it was Safranbolu that supplied a
great part of the army's need for footwear. This
alone is sufficient evidence
of the effectiveness of its shoe-making trade. In
1923, 15000 Ottoman liras worth of shoes were sold to the
neighbouring towns and villages.
In
1975 there werea few shops still operating in the arasta.
Saddlers
and Leather Workers: Horses and donkeys which were
important means of transport were used in great numbers in
and Safranbolu 46. For this reason saddle and harness making
was a common field of production. The producers of saddles
and harnesses were gathered in two separate streets in the
çarşı, called "semerciler içi" and
"saraçlar içi", names denoting the crafts
excersised within. It is known that in 1923 there were 120
people engaged in saddle-making.
There
still are a few saddle-makers today .
Farriers
As
each household owned at least one or two saddle-horses,
there was a suffıcient number of farriers engaged in
horse-shoeing.
Ironmongery
Ironmongers,
which even today exist in the market area, were in a
wellestablished branch of activity in the old days. Farming
equipment, metal parts of harnesses, tools for wood and
leather working, household utensils, tools and building
elements such as axes, adzes, gimlets, hammers, nails,
screws, hinges, locks, door handles, door knocks, iron hooks
for window shutters latches and hooks etc...used in building
construction were manufactured in the ironmongers' market.
Coppersmiths
Safranbolu
was the copper market of the area. The shops which sell
ready-made copperware today formerly produced all these
themselves.
TRADITIONS,
CUSTOMS AND RELIGION
The
philosophy of life inspired by traditions, customs and
religion is to be content with very little. People of
Safranbolu are thrifty; they have no tendency for luxury.
Simplicity is everywhere. They sit and work on the floor,
sleep in laid on the floor and eat at low tables. There is
not much furniture in the homes. Even ornamentation is
mostly limited to the properties such as color and texture
of the materials used, thus
preserving their natural appearance.
Consequently it is difficult to tell a rich man's house from
a poor man's. In spite of simplicity, however, there is an
evident abundance. Food is plentiful and ots of variety;
rooms are many and large; even their houses are double! It a
healthy, problem-free society all in all.
Harem-Selamlık
(Women's Quarters-Men's Quarters):
Religion
and traditions close the house to the outside world. For
this reason the gardens and interiors of houses are
separated from the streets by high walls; the windows are
latticed . Women are not seen by men outside the household.
Sometimes, even in the same house, men and women live in
separate quarters. There are examples of such houses in
Safranbolu, divided into men's and women’s quarters
(selamlık, harem). Usually, it is only the very rich who
can to have this spatial organization. The Hacı Memişler
summer house is comprised of a harem and selamlık built
side by side. Among the examples studied in this book, the
Kaymakamlar house is unique in that it is provided with
separate entrances for the harem and selamlık quarters, on
different floors and openings onto different streets. In the
Hacı Salih Paşa house also, there two separate entrances
and staircases for the harem and selamlık quarters. In
other houses although there is a single entrance, a room
which is easily accessible from the staircase, without
unnecessary intrusion into the family life, is used as a
selamlık. The selamlık rooms are treated with special
care. In the older examples these rooms have top windows and
their ceilings are decorated in a more sophisticated manner.
The
Revolving Cupboard: As in the old days, it was not
desirable that a woman be looked upon by a man from outside
the household, even in her own home. Therefore special
arrangements were made to secure her privacy. One of these
was the revolving cupboard, designed so as to enable serving
the men in the selamlık from the harem quarters, without
being seen. The plates, tableware or cups used for serving
food, coffee, syrups etc. were placed on the shelves of this
revolving cupboard which was built in a cabinet between the
harem and selamlık quarters, with doors opening to both
sides. After turning the cupboard manually, anything on the
shelves could be fetched from the other side. This design
shows how the houses which do not have separate harem and
selamlık or separate servants for each, conform to
traditions.
The
Selamlık Pavilion: Some houses have a separate selamlık
pavilion in their gardens with one or more rooms. In most of
them, there is a pool in the main sitting area. Pools are
also to be found in the selamlık rooms on the middle floor
of some houses.
There
are such pools in both of the "şehir" houses of
the Asmazlar. The parapet wall is about 50 to 60 cms from
the floor. There are divans (sitting platforms) along
the walls on all three sides. In the selamlık pavilion of
Kurtlar summer house there is a raised platform with pillars
along the window wall and a small fireplace for making
coffee at one end of the pool-room.
The
pavilion has two separate rooms and a toilet-washroom. The
windows are unglazed. The main floor with the pond is the
ground floor. In the Rauf Beyler house at the Bağlar
district there is a very impressive pavilion. Its strictly
symmetrical plan has an almost unique architectural concept
with its two rooms with an eyvan in between; its large pool
surrounded by divans and the beautifully decorated ceiling
of the pool room which has a span of 8 metres. The
selamlık pavilions open onto the garden which is entered
through a separate street door. When the garden pavilion
consists of a single room with a pool it is simply called
"the pool room". Usually these rooms -which
contain a pool, a fountain, divans and occasionally a small
fireplace for making coffee- have a polygonal plan
In
some houses in the Bağlar district which do not have spring
water, the pool is replaced by a well, in which case the
space is called the "well-room". With the divans
on all sides, these rooms have the same refreshing function
as the pool-rooms. Drinking water and fruits are chilled in
the well.
Ablution
The
Moslem religion demands that ablution should be performed
five times a day, before each ritual prayer. There are
washrooms and ablution closets within the house for this
purpose. Each room, which is the basic living unit is
provided with an area and facilities for the performance of
total ablution; a well thought- out solution from the point
of view of the intimacy of family life. Considering the
close relation between the two, the toilet is generally
combined with the wash-room.
As
a consequence of traditions, water used for washing dishes
is never mixed with the sewage. It is either collected in a
separate pool or runs freely through a wooden gutter into
the garden. No specific space has been allocated for worship
within the house. It is believed that the ritual prayers
(namaz) can be performed anywhere that is clean enough.
|
