DERİ SANATININ GELİŞMESİNDE AHİLİK KÜLTÜRÜNÜN ÖNEMİ

XI. ULUSLARARASI TÜRK SANATI, TARİHİ ve FOLKLORU KONGRESİ/SANAT ETKİNLİKLERİ, Konya, Türkiye, 9 - 11 Mayıs 2018, ss.505-508

(THE IMPORTANCE OF AHI CULTURE IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE ART

OF LEATHER)

Canan ERDÖNMEZ

ABSTACT

Ahi Organisation founded by Ahi Evren in Anatolia were based upon 4

grounds as morals, intelligence, science and hard-work. Ahi Evren strove for

improving the economic situation of the public, people to have a profession and

saving them from the religious abuse. In Ahi –Order, carrying out commercial

activities and cooperation and collaboration in business life were regarded as

significant and doing a good job and specialising in one’s field were thought to be

social duties and responsibilities. Because of its this feature, Ahi brothers had an

exemplary unity and cooperation among themselves. By aiming to make artists and

craftsmen puissant in terms of capital by collaboration, the quality and productivity

were improved in goods and services production by cost reduction. There were thirty

two guilds in Ahi Community and the most respected one was leather craft. Leathermen

used to have a lodge in every town. And these gathering locations were called

"Ahi Evren Derimi". Chosen among the tradesmen, there were an eight-people board

at the top of Ahi Organisation. This board was called senior officers and the head of

the department of senior officers was called “Sikh”. Except for Sikh, there was also

a “yigitbas” among the officers. Yigitbas was the person who was responsible for

implementing the made decisions and the ones related to the board. Yigitbas used

to walk around among the tradesmen, check the quality of the goods and report to

the officers. Each craft had its own board and Sikh. When it was necessary, the crafts

held a meeting and the moderator would be one from the leather-men. Leather-men

were assume to have full knowledge of thirty- two crafts and leather making was

regarded as the most important of all.