Feshane in Golden Horn

Feshane was established in the Defterdar district of Istanbul in 1839 with the decree of Sultan Abdülmecit to meet the fez and gaberdine needs of the Ottoman army. Feshane is the first textile industry establishment in Turkey. It became one of the first examples of the steel construction structure in the world with the columns brought from Belgium in 1851.

Former Popularity of the Fez as a Folk Dress

The adoption of the fez as the headdress while determining the dress of the Asâkir-i Mansura-i Muhammediyye army, which was formed after the abolition of the Janissary House, led to the widespread use of this headgear among the people. The increasing demand for fez was met by first importing from Tunisia and Egypt and then from Europe. The continual import of a widely consumed commodity was not considered correct economically, especially in terms of the foreign trade balance, which became an increasingly prominent issue. Then, authorities took action to produce fezes domestically.

Firstly, twenty-three fez masters were brought from Tunisia to Istanbul and fifteen skilled journeymen from Bursa to work with them. In 1833, fez production was started in a building belonging to the private treasury of the Sultan in Cündî Square in Kadırga. In Feshane, when it was seen that the first fez samples made of local fleece were too hard to use, it was decided to use the more suitable merino fleece. Production continued for training, and nearly 300 masters, foremen, and workers were trained in sixteen months.

A few years after the Feshâne was put into operation at full capacity, the building in Kadırga was insufficient. The facilities were transferred to the staff of the Hatice Sultan Palace in the Eyüp Defterdar Pier in 1839. Due to the sufficient water resources here, it became possible to do the painting operations previously done by a separate team in the Beykoz paper mill in the same place. After the transition to the new building, more than 100,000 fezes were produced in 1839 and 1840, and this number gradually increased. Most of the fez produced was purchased by the state to meet the needs of soldiers and civil servants, and the rest was put on the market.

Feshane in Contemporary Times

In 1992, the building was transformed into a contemporary handicraft museum through the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality and a private institution. In the following years, the building became unusable due to the rise of the waters on the Golden Horn side and water penetration into the building.

The building remained inoperative for 6 years. Restoration work started again in 1998, and the building was finally saved from destruction. It has been transformed into a space that can be used for all kinds of organizations, meetings, seminars, concerts, galas, parties, exhibitions, and cultural events after the restoration it has undergone.