Extended Summary

Turkish Red is one of the most important colors obtained by root dyeing
technique. It has been in demand for centuries with its unique color and
brightness. As a result of the endemic plants used in obtaining this color growing
in the Anatolian geography and its transfer between civilizations as a cultural value,
the Ottoman Empire was the last representative of this color dyeing and made it
famous worldwide. For this reason, this color is called Turkish red. It was
produced in dyehouses in many regions of Anatolia and exported to many regions,
especially Europe. It was also an important income item in the Ottoman economy,
and foundations and even the state itself were involved in the production and trade
of this color. As such, it attracted the attention of European weavers, who sent
agents or craftsmen to the Ottoman Empire to learn the trade in order to produce
products of the same quality. It is observed that the French in particular made
attempts in this direction. The French industry learned fabric dyeing techniques
from Ottoman artisans to a great extent. In the 18th century, French entrepreneurs
learned how local artisans in Cairo, Istanbul and Damascus bleached and dyed
fabrics and what materials they used, either by sending their representatives or
through their consuls or Jesuits in these regions. In addition, artisans from the
Ottoman Empire were taken to France to teach their skills to the artisans there.
Some of these techniques were incorporated into the French textile industry and
started to be used. However, both the difficulties in the production of raw
materials and the problem of not being able to produce similar ones and the
craftsmanship of the craftsmen carrying the heritage of centuries prevented the
Europeans from achieving the desired success
“Turkish Red” is one of the most complex and arduous processes in the art
of dyeing. Those who worked in dyeing works were carried out in the dye houses
organized first in the Ahilik Organization and later in the Guilds within the masterapprentice relationship. It is not possible to find adequate sources on the labor
force and working conditions of the dyehouses. Labor relations, an area in which
historians of the period did not pay much attention, is considered to be the most
important reason for this situation. Nevertheless, the limited sources show us that
those who carried out this valuable dyeing activity had an important place in the
textile sector.
Today, efforts to recreate Turkish red are defined in ten steps, including
soaking in sulfated castor oil called Turkish red oil, a dyestuff derived from root
dye, and treatment with a color fixative called mordant. The entire Turkish Red
production process, defined as the most difficult, tedious and labor-intensive
process in the dyeing process, takes 196 hours (8.2 days). This result was obtained
by summing the dyeing and drying times. The labor required was calculated by
excluding the open air dyeing times, adding the waiting time in the dye, squeezing,
etc. and taking the daily working time as 8 hours. Accordingly, the total labor time
is 28 hours or 3.5 days. When all these steps and durations are taken into
consideration, it is better understood how laborious Turkish red production is,
especially for cotton weavings.
This study examines labor relations in the Ottoman Empire with a special
focus on Turkish Red within the framework of the existing literature. The findings
show that such a special and important field of activity was an important area of
income and employment in the Anatolian geography of the Empire. Although
geographical conditions had an inevitable effect on the successful production of
this color, the fact that it was known by the civilizations living in Anatolia for
centuries and the master-apprentice relationship that ensured the transmission of
the technique for generations is of great importance. While the master-apprentice
relationship ensured the perfection of the technique in obtaining the paint, it also
made it a difficult production method to imitate. As seen in written sources, this is
also considered to be the reason why countries, especially France and England,
who wanted to apply this technique failed in all their attempts, including espionage.
In reality, qualified labor is the main factor in obtaining this color.