The Oriental Carpet Manufacturers Limited [Şark Hali Kumpanyasi] and its place and importance in the Ottoman carpet - making

This study focuses on The Oriental Carpet Manufacturers Limited [OCM], which plays an important role in the production and trade of Ottoman carpets as well as the marketing and export of Anatolian carpets to foreign markets. OCM, played an active role in the Anatolian Carpets from 1908 to the First World War and was able to reach a remarkable production volume in this process thanks to the agencies and workshops it established in various parts of Anatolia. In this success of OCM, six founding companies that make up this company and OCM's home employment system [putting – out], which is applied in carpet production, have an important role. Although founding companies started to form from the second quarter of the 19th century, they were among the important companies holding Ottoman carpet business later in the same century and in the first years of the 20th century. These founding companies created the OCM on December 16, 1907 being aware of the demand for Ottoman carpets in the European and American markets and also in order to eliminate the competition in the carpet trade. Having acquired a legal personality as of December 16, 1907, OCM was able to stay outside the Ottoman laws and regulations by showing itself a British limited company registered in London and continued this process until 1918. Although it was constituted outside the Ottoman laws, OCM started carpet production activities in Anatolian geography as of January 1, 1908 and played an active role in carpet production until 1914. OCM, also took the carpet raw materials into hegemony with the production facilities it established in Bandırma Beyköy and Izmir Mortakia and in this sense, it became a monopoly in carpet making. As a direct result of this monopolization, OCM employed carpet weavers ranging from 50 to 60 thousand in Anatolia and in this process, it increased its capital to £ 500.000 in 1910 and to £ 1.000.000 in 1912. Key Words: OCM, Anatolia, Ottoman Carpets, Carpet Production and Trade