Extinct Heritage of Leathering History: Historical Leather Factory in Isparta
Ayşe Betül GökarslanThe Historical Leather (Debbağ-Şayak) Factory was built in the late 19th century on a large land near the Hüseyin Baş Mill, at the intersection of Yenice and Dere Districts of Isparta province. The building, which was used until the 1950s and then changed hands and was used as a thread factory, produced leather, leather, screws and oskar (shoes made of cow leather) for different parts of Anatolia and Istanbul when it was in use as a leather factory. Although the Leather Factory is one of the industrial heritages symbolizing the industrial history of the region, it remained idle, unregistered and not as well-known as the Yalvaç Leather Factory because it could not be used for its original function. In addition to the problems arising from corporate and local governments, serious damage has occurred in the structure, which consists of three different periods, especially as a result of the recent renovations. The building, which has suffered deterioration both from public and user sources, is in danger of collapsing within a few years unless urgent measures are taken. The building is also heavily affected by adverse climatic conditions due to the removal of the upper cover and intermediate floor. This study aims to draw attention to the preservation of an industrial heritage structure belonging to the history of leathermaking, which remains idle but is a very important business branch of Isparta, and solutions on the subject have been developed. Within the scope of this study, on-site observation, documentation with photographs and sketches, and written and visual archive scanning were carried out.
Dericilik Tarihinin Yok Olmaya Yüz Tutmuş Mirası: Isparta Tarihî Deri Fabrikası
Ayşe Betül GökarslanTarihî Deri (Debbağ-Şayak) Fabrikası, 19. yüzyılın sonlarında Isparta ilinin Yenice ve Dere Mahallelerinin kesişim noktasında, Hüseyin Baş Değirmeni’nin yakınlarındaki geniş bir arazide inşa edilmiştir. 1950’li yıllara kadar kullanılan, daha sonra el değiştirerek iplik fabrikası olarak kullanıma açılan yapı, deri fabrikası olarak kullanımda olduğu dönemde Anadolu’nun farklı bölgelerine ve İstanbul’a deri, kösele, vidala, oskar (inek derisinden üretilen ayakkabı) üretmiştir. Deri Fabrikası, bölgenin endüstri tarihini simgeleyen endüstri miraslarından biri olmasına rağmen özgün işlevi ile kullanılamamasından dolayı atıl kalmış, tescillenmemiş ve Yalvaç Deri Fabrikası kadar tanınmamıştır. Kurumsal ve yerel yönetimlerden kaynaklı sorunların yanı sıra, üç farklı dönemden oluşan yapıda özellikle son dönemde yapılan tadilatlar sonucu ciddi tahribatlar meydana gelmiştir. Gerek kamusal gerekse kullanıcı kaynaklı bozulmalara uğrayan yapı, acil önlemler alınmadığı takdirde birkaç sene içerisinde yıkılma tehlikesiyle yüz yüzedir. Yapı, üst örtünün ve ara katın kaldırılması sebebiyle olumsuz iklim koşullarından da fazlasıyla etkilenmektedir.
Bu çalışmada Isparta’nın atıl kalan ancak çok önemli bir iş kolu olan dericilik tarihine ait bir endüstri mirası yapısının korunmasına dikkati çekmek amaçlanmış, konu ile ilgili çözüm önerileri geliştirilmiştir. Bu çalışma kapsamında yerinde gözlem, fotoğraf ve kroki ile belgeleme, yazılı ve görsel arşiv taraması yapılmıştır.
The art of leather lived its golden age in the Ottoman Period. In the early periods of the Ottoman Empire, nomadic Turkish tribes dealing with leather were forced to settle in places close to the cities, although the Turks were busy with leatherwork in Anatolia during the Anatolian Seljuks and Principalities periods. Thus, an active commercial life has emerged. Turkish leathers have become known all over the world and have been exported to Europe for centuries. It has had a significant impact on the commercial life of cities such as Istanbul, Edirne, Kayseri, Trabzon, Ankara, Bursa, Manisa, Tokat, Konya, Diyarbakır and Urfa. Turkey’s most beautiful sahtiyans were made in Diyarbakir, Urfa and Tokat; Red sahtian was produced in Diyarbakir, yellow in Mosul and Kayseri, and black in Urfa. In Kastamonu - Safranbolu, it was produced by a leather factory. One of the regions where leather production is made in Anatolia is Isparta. Isparta leather business has developed both in the city center and Yalvaç district. Tanneries with the old name of tanners and tanneries in Isparta were established in the 16th century in the old Debbağhane District, which is known as Kurtuluş Mahallesi. It got this name because animal skins are tanned. Today, this place is called the “old tannery” among the people. However, leather processing workshops were moved to Sermet District and continued to function in this district. The tanneries were moved to the Leather Organized Industrial Zone in 2009, as they remained inside the settlements and caused environmental pollution.
In the 18th century, the importance of yarn and weaving in the city trade in Isparta and the widespread application of different business lines such as carpet making, rose making, crockery, disclaimer, shoemaking, and light fabrication paved the way for the commercial progress that the city would make in the middle of the 19th century. In particular, the art of tanning and shoemaking has advanced so much that tradesmen, notables and courtiers in Istanbul wore mest and shoes made of sahtiyans called Isparta yellow and Isparta red. It is known that handicrafts and crafts such as cotton and wool weaving, rope making, felt making, bell making, saddlery and saddle making have been made in the region since the Seljuks. Many industrial heritages such as weaving factories, leather and leather factories, wine, beer and liquor factories, rose oil and perfume factories, mills and dyehouses were built for industrial branches. While some of them have not survived by being demolished, some of them continue to serve. Some buildings remain derelict and need extensive repairs. One of these structures is the Historical Leather Factory of Isparta. Animal husbandry, which is an activity of the nomadic culture in Isparta and its districts, is highly developed; wool and leather were produced depending on animal husbandry. Since Isparta leather is an important line of business for the regional economy, factories have been established in the city centre and Yalvaç District for extensive leather production. Because leatherwork continued in different places over time, both factories began to collapse and were on the verge of disappearing.
In 1891, a water-powered leather factory was built on the land behind Hüseyin Baş Mill in Dere District, named “Şayak Weaving Company”. Four Turkish masters were brought from the aba factory in İslimiye from Bulgaria, and Rumelian serge was produced by these masters. This factory was closed after working for six years. The company, which was established under the name of Şayak Company, bought land on the upper side of Hüseyin Baş Değirmen in Dere District, established a Şayak Manufacturing Factory, and started to produce durable fabrics in the form of aba. Due to this, the factory was closed for a short time.
A new company was established in the Şayak Factory in cooperation with the French, French style leather, leather, screw, oskar were produced and its capital was provided by the tradesmen. In 1926, with the efforts of Isparta Deputy İbrahim Demiralay, Antalya Ziraat Bank Manager Ali Rıza Şalvarcı and Lawyer Hasan Fehmi, the company became official and was taken under the protection of the state. In 1927, with the initiatives of the people of Isparta, a turbine-powered leather factory was built. After this factory became operational, it produced several types of leather and sent these products to metropolitan cities such as Istanbul and Izmir. In 1929, the worldwide economic imbalances affected the factory negatively and brought it to the point of bankruptcy. Due to the lack of working capital, he could not advance his work. After this negative process, the factory was liquidated and abandoned, and the company was dissolved. The factory was purchased by Mustafa Toka, one of the carpet merchants of Isparta, in 1948, and some of it was converted into a carpet yarn factory.
Located in the city centre of Isparta, this factory has neither been registered nor has it been extensively or partially repaired. It is aimed to be demolished by the Municipality of Isparta within the scope of the zoning plan planned to be built in the Dere District. For this reason, this structure, which is under many risks of both natural, human and administrative origin, needs to be documented, protected, and comprehensively repaired urgently. However, there are security problems due to the location of the building. The point where the building is located is thinner etc. It has been a stopover for some people. For this reason, field studies have been in a process that threatens security. However, despite these conditions, the sketches of the building were taken and the survey was tried to be taken out. The repairs and usage patterns of the factory were investigated, the traces on the building and the data about the building were tried to be reached from oral sources, and the protection problems were determined. With this study, it is aimed to shed light on future studies by drawing attention to the preservation status of the building, which has left a mark in the urban memory of Isparta and is an industrial heritage.
