Today's Ahi practices Mudurnu example

Ahilik has come to the fore as an important institution regulating the commercial life of Anatolia for many years. Drawing attention with its economic, social, cultural and moral effects, ahilik has created a culture of business ethics and solidarity that encompasses the whole society, not limiting trade only to material gains. The ethical problems experienced in today's global trade require the ahi tradition to be reconsidered. Mudurnu is one of the important districts that aims to keep the ahi tradition alive. In 2015, Mudurnu was inscribed on UNESCO's Tentative List of World Heritage Sites as "Mudurnu Historical Ahi City: Witnesses of Ahi (Bolu)". The aim of this study is to investigate to what extent the ahi organisation in Mudurnu is kept alive today. Within the scope of the study, 9 artisans working as craftsmen in Mudurnu were interviewed. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with the artisans using the interview technique, and observation technique was also used in the shops during the interviews. There are 9 tradesmen, 2 women and 7 men in the study group. Semi-structured interview technique was used in the study and the recorded interviews were transcribed and transferred to ATLAS.ti 8 programme. Then, the data were analysed by content analysis method by creating theme groups. As a result of the research, it was determined that the ahi tradition is still effective in the trade environment in Mudurnu, but some changes have occurred. Although it has decreased compared to the past, it has been determined that the understanding and rituals of ahilik are continued in the district. The most concrete indicator of these rituals is the artisan prayer organised every week. It is observed that the artisan prayer has been going on in the district for 8 centuries without interruption. It is understood that the interviewed tradesmen still trade according to ahi principles. However, the decrease in the master-apprentice relationship has negatively affected the transfer of the ahi tradition to new generations. This study makes a unique contribution to the literature by evaluating the current situation of the ahi tradition in Mudurnu.