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Saffron scented Arasta



 
 
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Old January 24th, 2005, 05:52 AM
T.R.H.
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Default Saffron scented Arasta

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x0x Saffron scented Arasta

By Yelda Baler

Along the rough cobblestone pavements in the bazaar of
Safranbolu, the products displayed tell the stories of the old wooden
mansions.

This wood-scented, saffron-coloured city has a 5000-year past. From
the Hittites to the Byzantines to the Seljuk Turks, many civilisations
have left their traces. Fatih Mehmet the Conqueror took the land from
the Candarogullari Turks, thus making it possible for us to see the
colourful traces of Ottoman culture as well. Safranbolu, in the inner
Black-Sea region, was an important centre on the east-west trade route
to Istanbul in the 13th and 14th centuries. Traders stopped to sleep
and to exchange their goods. Naturally, extensive trade led to
production. One street houses the saddle and harness makers, another
the quilt makers and head scarf makers. On the street below, the
ironmakers and blacksmiths, all incessantly producing. Lack of arable
land in the area led to the development of production and trade among
the people of this hilltop city. Practices maintained for centuries
constitute a heritage that lives on.

One must wake up early in the morning in order to observe
the liveliness Safranbolus Arasta brings to the city. If you take my
advice, first take the road up the hill from the paved streets. Visit
the clock tower built 200 years ago by Izzet Mehmed Pasha, the grand
vizier of Sultan Selim III, and take in the view of old and new
Safranbolu with the morning sun shining down on it, embroidered quilts
hanging down from open windows framed with lace curtains, and red and
green peppers hanging from wooden terraces. This was a good
introduction before proceeding down to Arasta Bazaar next to the
Koprulu Mehmed Pasha Mosque. The stone walled shops inside the Arasta,
all arranged in order, may have not opened their shutters yet. They
have wooden doors and window frames that contribute to the warm
atmosphere. Look carefully through the frosted windows and you may
glimpse scenes from history. As the sun rises higher, the shops, one
by one show signs of life. Awnings and counters are opened. The elder
shopkeepers are the first to open for business.

The saddlemaker is at least 80 years old, but he has
unlimited energy to continue producing colourful pack saddles, even
though horses are no longer used in daily life. He structures the
saddle with wood, fills it with straw and decorates it with colourful
wools. He always enjoys having a friendly chat while he works. At the
end of the street, an elderly woman lays out tablecloths, cotton
covers and wooden spoons on her counter. Her tablecloths, called "sini
bezi" in some places, are made from fine linen. They have natural
designs, figured with imagination. They are printed from patterns
delicate as needlework. The patterns are made of linden wood by
artisans who carve them with great patience and skill. When completed
they are dipped into the natural dyes and printed onto the cloth.

BLUE BEADS

Another shop opens. This time blue beads are hanging in the window.

Enough of these beads are hung there to protect all of Safranbolu from
the evil eye. A little further away, we see that the door of the
harness shop has opened.

There are cords, leather straps, thick ropes all brought out
on hangers. Colourful felt scarves are also hung out as decoration. Do
not be surprised if you see a child standing at the counter. He must
be trying to choose the most colourful of the wooden tops. Meet the
young girls in this town, who are making needlework lace called oya.

Its a pastime for them, making these lacy borders for their
headscarves. The richness of each individuals thoughts is reflected in
her needlework.

COLOURFUL HANDMADE QUILTS

You encounter the most beautiful colours and patterns in the
quiltmakers shop. Most of these handmade quilts are arranged in layers
in wooden cupboards of old Safranbolu houses waiting for their guests.

In one of the side streets a craftsman is already busy at work
producing miniatures of the traditional Safranbolu houses. Some people
are spreading sand in their gardens, some are watering their flowers.

How about the coppersmiths? All these beautiful copper
containers may be the reason why Arasta shines brightly under the sun.

Teapots, samovars, bowls and glasses adorn shops and houses alike.

Copper containers displayed on the counters and windows of the shops
spread a dazzle of light along the stone street. Although today it is
no longer done in many places, copper re-covering work from around
Anatolia is still done here.

The sun is nearly overhead now, and the shopkeepers have started eat
their sesame rolls (simit) while drinking the morning tea. If you
linger awhile in front of one of the shops, you are also invited to
tea. At the spice-seller, it is possible to find anything from linseed
to hollyhock. You will drink a glass of tea there too, so start to
read what those herbs and spices are used for. If you come across a
yellowish grain, resembling seeds, hanging from the wooden doors, you
must have found the seeds of the salep flower, a variety of orchid.

Your memories of Safranbolu will warm you in winter, More than the
creamy, hot salep drink you make from the seeds or powder from
Safranbolu, it is your memories of Safranbolu that will warm you this
winter.

Time is always the culprit. It consumes, makes you forget
and destroys everything. The passion for technology, the speed and
chaos of our age can easily sweep our saffron-scented values from our
hands. Many among us pining after the old values still hold onto what
we are about to lose, hiding them in big wooden cupboards and chests.

They place the needlework left from grandmothers in the chest with
great care and hang the natural-dyed rugs on their walls. Some people
are not only saving the old treasures but are also actually working to
bring them alive by producing and selling them.

It would seem that we owe a debt of gratitude to those who have this
urge to protect and maintain the traditional practices, the headscarf
makers and weavers in Gaziantep; packsaddle makers and hamam
clog-makers of Tire; the weavers of Kastamonu; backyard pattern makers
and cloth printers as well as all the shopkeepers in Safranbolus
Arasta Bazaar, the packsaddle makers, headscarf makers, quilt makers
and blacksmiths, who continue to produce their traditional wares.

Yelda Baler is a photographer and freelance writer
 




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