Page 179 - The Age of Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent

to be dishonest and use inferior materials. Although the çintemani, a series of triple balls used alone or enhanced by
wording in these decrees is harsh—instructing the kadi to in- double wavy lines. Although the patterns and color schemes
vestigate the culprits and render appropriate punishment— used for export were few, the weavers produced astonishingly
there is an underlying tone of moderation. They may have diverse variations, rarely duplicating the same combination of
resulted from isolated complaints that prompted the state to motifs and colors.
issue warnings to other weavers, to prevent them from yield- The most remarkable silks were made in the imperial
ing to the same temptations. The decrees also reflect the eco- workshops, which were fully established in the first quarter
nomic conditions of the empire and the attempt to counteract of the sixteenth century. The payroll registers of 1526, 1545,
the worldwide inflation that resulted from the inflow of gold 1557-1558, and 1566 list a variety of societies employed in
and silver from the New World and the rise in silk prices. the production of thread, weaving of textiles, and construc-
In a decree to the kadi of Bursa in 1565/1566 Süleyman tion of garments: there were silk spinners, makers of metallic
ordered him to investigate and punish the weavers who were threads, weavers of silk, kemha, velvet, aba (a heavy wool
mixing low-quality with high-quality silks and selling them cloth), and bez (linen and cotton). There were also textile de-
for high prices. In another decree dated 1574 Selim II limited signers, the Cemaat-i Naki§ or Naki^bandi, who must have
the use of gold in brocades, stating that Bursa was depleting produced cartoons to be used by the weavers. Also included
the nation's supply of gold, and from that date the use of this were the zerduz (gold embroiderers) in addition to societies
metal was restricted to the imperial weavers in Istanbul. In a that made robes, turbans, caps, underwear, furs, shoes, boots,
second decree of the same year, sent to Bilecik (a town east and gloves. The 1526 register records 27 weavers of silk,
of Bursa), the weavers were reprimanded for producing infe- kemha, velvet, and aba. Their number rose to 105 in 1545,
rior brocaded velvets and warned that if they did not follow 145 in 1557/1558, but dropped to 100 in 1566. The societies
regulations, their shops in Bursa would be shut down. This of imperial weavers, collectively called Karhane-i Hassa, were
document is interesting in that it mentions Bilecik as a pro- headed by a serkar, who in 1557/1558 was Mahmud tlyas.
ducer of velvets woven with gold. Istanbul also had a large number of guilds that were in-
The Bursa silk industry was organized into guilds, some of volved with producing supplies, dealing with cloths, and
which dealt with raw silk and processed it into spun and weaving silks. Evliya Çelebi listed over 1,350 shops that em-
dyed yarns, while others were involved with weaving, using ployed close to 3,500 weavers, and added that there were just
different looms to create diverse types of fabrics. The guilds as many dealers. 9 Even if his figures were exaggerated, as
consisted of master craftsmen, a council of officers that dealt they often were, Istanbul had its own textile industry. Evliya
with kadis and implemented the government regulations, and mentioned that there were 5,000 tailors working in 3,000
apprentices who were learning the trade. shops in addition to 500 others who were attached to the
The classification of fabrics was highly complex, and em- palace and worked in ateliers located either next to the
ployed specific terms to define types of weaves, colors, de- Arslanhane or opposite the Alay Ko§ku. 10
signs, and ranges of quality. Most of these terms are difficult The sultans also issued decrees to control the prices and re-
to identify, since their meanings have been lost or changed in tain the quality of textiles produced in Istanbul. Süleyman's
time. Nevertheless, there are six basic types of silk fabrics. At- edict of 1564 declares that only 100 looms out of 310 were
las was a monochrome compound satin, at times woven with allowed to continue manufacturing gold and silver cloths; the
supplemental twill patterns or pressed with hot irons to pro- remaining were found guilty of cheating and their shops
duce a moiré texture; serenk was a polychrome silk woven in closed; those permitted to continue weaving were to be regis-
yellow and two or more colors; kemha, a highly valued cloth, tered and their fabrics stamped by an appointed supervisor
was woven in a similar way, with intricate patterns executed before being marketed; and the price for each bolt was to be
in a wide range of colors enhanced with gold, gilded silver, not less than thirty-five gold coins."
or silver; seraser, the most valued of all, was woven entirely Imperial weavers, who were primarily employed to supply
with metallic thread, its pattern employing no more than the needs of the palace and thus free of such restrictions,
three colors; kadife was a plain velvet; and çatma was a type were prolific. A fascinating insight into the consumption of
of voided velvet which combined pile and satin weave and woven goods is provided by a document dated 1568 that lists
incorporated gold and silver. the textiles delivered to the palace by the imperial workshops,
The most popular colors were ruby red, pistachio-green, supervised by a master named Ferhad. Within one month the
and a bright medium blue, which were frequently used with court ordered 103 bolts of seraser, serenk, kemha, velvet,
ivory, tan, or brown. The designs produced for the court were çatma, and other fabrics; a notation at the end states addi-
often one of a kind and displayed a wide range of hues, tional goods were purchased from outside sources. 12
while those made for domestic markets and for export were Although loom widths can easily be determined from exist-
1
limited, employing ogival or vertical-stem patterns and four ing fragments (they ranged around 65 centimeters, or 25 /2
or five colors. One of the most characteristic motifs was the inches), the length of a bolt is not documented. There is,

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