UNUTULMUŞ BİR ÇÖMLEKÇİLİK GELENEĞİNİN ARDINDAN: TRABZON ÇÖMLEKÇİ MAHALLESİ ÖRNEĞİ

The study of Ottoman pottery centres has lately become a growing field of interest within Ottoman archaeology. Two types of pottery centers could be identified for the Ottoman era, one producing for intra- and interregional markets and the other only for intra-regional trade and consumption. The Çömlekçi Quarter in Trabzon is one of the most common examples of the latter. However, our archaeological information on the potters’ workshops at Çömlekçi is completely lacking. This work examines the aspects of pottery production that once flourished in the Quarter of Çömlekçi in the light of Ottoman written sources and the narratives of Western travellers who visited the city during the 19th century. Available historiographical records help us to shed light on several aspects of pottery making at the Çömlekçi workshops, including the scale of production, the types of pots, how the pots were used, the architectural features of a potter’s workshop, the identity of potters, and the distribution of finished products.