The tobacco pipes revealed in between 2004 and 2008 in the Bitlis excavation

This study relates to the tobacco pipes which, having been revealed by Prof. Dr. Kadir Pektas during the Bitlis Castle Excavation in 2004, are preserved in Bitlis Ethnography Museum. Our study is limited to the tobacco pipes revealed in between 2004 and 2008 since the Bitlis Castle Excavation has not completed yet.All of the tobacco pipes revealed during Bitlis Castle excavation are of that type which has been used by the ordinary people. Out of 924 pipes extracted, 123 intact or nearly-intact pipes were included in the study. The pipes were examined for their clay, production methods, form properties, ornamenting techniques and motif properties.With the introduction of tobacco into the Ottoman Empire, tobacco smoking and pipe manufacturing started and workshops were established for this purpose. However, many of the pipes cannot be dated exactly since there is no date and the craftsmen stamps on them. Similarly, there are no date and craftsmen stamps on the pipes extracted during the Bitlis Castle Excavation between 2004 and 2008, which are the subject of this study.