Tanning and Leatherworking in Çorum

Tanning and leatherworking were among the oldest and most prominent production trades in 19th- and early 20th-century Çorum. According to the chapter written by Sevgi Aktüre in Çorum Tarihi (History of Çorum), the city functioned as an “intermediate town” where hides produced by the dense small-livestock herding (sheep, goats) of the surrounding countryside were collected and processed; this raw-material base traced back to the herding tradition of the Oghuz Turkic tribes who had settled the region from the 11th century onward (for more, see History of Çorum) (Çorum Tarihi, p. 150-151).

The Tabakhane (Tannery) Quarter

Because of the noise and smell involved, and the need for proximity to a water source, tanneries were grouped apart from other trades — as in other Anatolian cities such as Ankara and Tokat, Çorum’s tannery district lay to the west of the commercial centre. In the city’s oldest surviving Islamic court register (şer’iyye sicili), dated 1595, this quarter appears under the name Tabakhane Mahallesi (Tannery Quarter); it may well have been established even earlier, soon after the region passed into Turkish hands (Çorum Tarihi, p. 152).

The quarter had two pools known as the “big and small lakes,” used for processing hides, and an open ground to its west where hides were dried. The quarter also had its own namesake mosque. This layout remained largely unchanged until the first quarter of the 20th century, while the tanneries were still active (Çorum Tarihi, p. 155).

Ahi Evran and the Guild System

As in other Anatolian cities, tanners (debbağ) in Çorum held a privileged place among tradesmen. According to the book, this traces back to the “ahi” fraternal organisation established in Anatolia under the Seljuks: Nasıruddin Ahi Mahmut Evran (d. 1280), who lived in Kırşehir, first organised leatherworkers and laid the foundations of the ahi movement in Anatolia, becoming regarded as the patron of tanners and shoemakers; his influence spread across a wide area that included Çorum.

Under the Ottomans, this tradition continued through tradesmen’s guilds known as “lonca.” While each production trade in Çorum had its own guild, the tanners’ guild served as a general decision-making body: for matters affecting all tradesmen, a general assembly met at the Ahi Evran Tekke (lodge), located in the Tabakhane Quarter (later renamed Medrese Mahallesi), chaired by the tanners’ guild head (yiğitbaşı); a tradesman dissatisfied with his own guild’s ruling could appeal there, though the general guild’s decision was final. The same building was where tanners gathered to pray at the start and end of the working day, and where hides and tanned leather were appraised. The 1595 register indicates this function was already established by that date; known in popular speech as the “Ahirvan Tekkesi,” the building had no shrine inside it, yet survived until the early 20th century and was held in great respect by the public (Çorum Tarihi, p. 155-156).

Scale of Production and Trade

By the early 20th century, hides processed in Çorum’s tanneries were sent to Kayseri, Yozgat, Merzifon, Samsun and Amasya; the leather types exported from the city were gön (sole leather) and sahtiyan (fine tanned leather). At the time, the city had 73 tanneries. By comparison, in the same years the Anatolian cities most known for producing small hides had far fewer small tanneries: about 50 in İzmir, 60 in Manisa, 40 in Uşak and 28 in Bursa — cities of comparable or larger population than Çorum — suggesting tanning was Çorum’s leading economic activity (Çorum Tarihi, p. 156-157).

From the late 19th century, the spread of new tanning technologies developed especially in France — chrome tanning, aniline dyes, oiled drums — made it harder for Anatolian tanneries working with traditional methods to find export markets, and Çorum’s tanneries lost much of their former importance. Even so, industrial statistics from 1913-1917 still record small-hide exports through the ports of Istanbul and İzmir, suggesting small-scale operations like Çorum’s tanneries kept functioning for a while longer (Çorum Tarihi, p. 156).

Among the trades linked to tanning, dikici (shoemakers who worked finished leather) held an important place: according to the book, they occupied most of the shops in the “arasta” (covered row of shops) at the Çöplük quarter; though this part of the city was repeatedly rebuilt after fires, shoes and slippers continued to be sold there as before (Çorum Tarihi, p. 157). Today’s Dikiciler Arastası in the city centre carries traces of this same bazaar tradition.

For Çorum’s other major 19th-century crafts — weaving, coppersmithing and blacksmithing — see Weaving, Coppersmithing and Blacksmithing in 19th-Century Çorum. İskilip’s Tabakhane Mosque also carries the traces of the same trade in that district.

Sources

• Çorum Tarihi (History of Çorum), 5th Hittite Festival Committee; ed. Çorum Municipality City Archive, 3rd ed., Çorum Municipality Cultural Publications, Çorum 2020 (Chapter 3: “Çorum in the 19th and Early 20th Century,” by Sevgi Aktüre), p. 150-157. https://www.corum.bel.tr/public/uploads/2026/01/corumtarihi.pdf

Frequently asked questions

How many tanneries did Çorum have in the early 20th century?

According to Çorum Tarihi (History of Çorum), the city had 73 tanneries in the early 20th century; the sole leather (gön) and tanned leather (sahtiyan) produced there were sent to Kayseri, Yozgat, Merzifon, Samsun and Amasya.