Cuhaci Han, one of Istanbul’s historic trade centers with a nearly 300-year past, continues to serve as a key production and commerce hub for the jewelry sector, carrying its craft tradition to global markets.
Located near the Nuruosmaniye Mosque in Istanbul's Fatih district, the inn was built in the 18th century by Ottoman Grandvizier Nevsehirli Damat Ibrahim Pasha.
Originally established as a center for merchants trading in broadcloth, known as “cuha,” the historic building gradually became one of the most important centers of Istanbul’s jewelry trade.
Today, Cuhaci Han hosts 287 active businesses, most of them jewelers, along with currency exchange offices and workshops supporting jewelry production.
As part of Anadolu’s “Istanbul’s Inns and Bazaars” news series, the fourth installment focuses on Cuhaci Han’s history, current commercial function and its role in the jewelry industry.
Gokhan Kilicaslan, the odabasi (head steward) of Cuhaci Han, told Anadolu that the inn had long been at the heart of Istanbul’s jewelry sector.
“Until the 1990s, production and wholesale trade in the sector were largely carried out here,” Kilicaslan said. “Craftsmen trained here later moved to different areas and to Kuyumcukent. But Cuhaci Han still preserves its importance in the history of jewelry and its commercial identity.”
Kilicaslan said the completion of restoration works in recent years significantly increased the number of visitors to the inn, where retail sales have gained ground alongside traditional wholesale trade.
“Since this was a production and wholesale center, customers we call ‘retail’ customers did not come here much in the past. This changed after the 2000s,” he said.
“After the renovation of the inn, as the number of visitors began to increase, 80% of the shops on the entrance floor were converted to retail use. Today, retail activity is much stronger. Wholesale continues, but retail is now almost as important.”
Kilicaslan said foreign tourists are mostly interested in 14-karat gold jewelry, while local customers prefer 22-karat products.
He noted that around 80% of the businesses in the inn are jewelers, while the remaining 20% are currency exchange offices. Shops are mostly located on the lower floor, while polishing and stone-setting workshops operate on the upper floors.
“There are nearly 30 stone-setting craftsmen and around 10 polishers in Cuhaci Han,” he said, adding that the inn also has six furnaces.
Kilicaslan said the inn has long been a source of export-oriented production.
“Products are sent from here mostly to Germany and the U.S.,” he said. “Online sales have also just started. But sales abroad have been going on for a long time. As far as I know, exports have existed since the 1970s and 1980s.”
He described Cuhaci Han as a “school, training center and university” for the jewelry profession.
“This is the main artery of a professional tradition. A person does not only learn a craft here. They also learn manners, respect and similar moral values,” Kilicaslan said.
“This is why it is called a university among tradesmen.”
Kilicaslan also pointed to a shortage of apprentices in the sector, saying craftsmen are struggling to find young people willing to learn the trade.
“In the past, people started here as apprentices and became masters. Now, no one comes before finishing school at 18. After the age of 18, it is very difficult to train an apprentice. This is a problem not only here but also in jewelry as in many other professions,” he said.
Kaya Degirmenci, a stone-setting master in Cuhaci Han, said the profession requires training, patience, and early exposure to the craft
“One of the main points of our profession is starting at a young age and entering this work both visually and mentally,” Degirmenci said.
He said the profession is facing challenges, partly because technology has changed production methods.
“In the past, everything was done by hand. Now, everything has become more technological with digital systems,” he said. “Naturally, the number of stone-setting masters has fallen sharply.”
Degirmenci said Cuhaci Han once had around 700 shops, with roughly 300 to 350 of them involved in stone-setting.
“Over time, as masters retired and new workers could not be trained from below, we faced shortages,” he said. “Today, across Istanbul, there may be only 100 to 150 stone-setting masters in total.”
*Writing by Mucahithan Avcioglu
