Mersin – Commerce

In the 19th century, new administrative divisions were created in the Ottoman Empire, namely provinces. In 1875 (or 1870, according to other sources [1]), Adana was given the status of a province. [2] In the late 19th century, the province of Adana consisted of four districts (sanjak): Adana, Icheli, Sis-Kozan (Khozan), and Jebel-i Bereket, which were themselves divided into 19 subdistricts (kaza), and these kaza were divided into 49 village clusters (nahie). During this time, the subdistrict of Mersin was part of the district of Adana. [3] After the administrative reforms of 1913, the province of Adana consisted of five districts, one of which enjoyed greater autonomy relative to the others and was granted greater self-governance rights. [4] In 1914, new administrative divisions within the province of Adana led to Mersin being detached from the district of Adana and becoming its own separate district. [5]

In the early 1890s, Mersin was home to 860 Armenians [6] and two Armenian schools, one for boys and one for girls. [7] In 1913, Mersin was home to 2,297 Armenians, with another approximately 1,000 Armenians living in the surrounding villages. Mersin was home to the Sourp Krikor Lousavorich (Saint Gregory the Illuminator) Church and three schools, [8] one of which was called Bartevian. [9] According to the census conducted by the Constantinople Armenian Patriarchate (February 1913-August 1914), the district of Mersin was home to 6,987 Armenians and four Armenian churches. [10]

In the late 19th century and early 20th century, Mersin was one of the most important ports on the Mediterranean Sea, as well as one of the province’s main commercial centers. Mersin had great significance for neighboring provinces, as well as for Adana. Moreover, Mersin was one of most suitable port cities of the time, as it was connected to the city of Adana by rail, which made it possible for goods to be transported or exported from the provincial capital to Constantinople, Smyrna, various countries around the Mediterranean basin, and countries further afield. Mersin was also the seat of foreign consuls, which made it easier for foreigners to enter the area and created new markets for local products.

Gabriel-George Barre de Lansin, the French consul to Aleppo, wrote in a report (1912) that “Mersin acts as the commercial exchange of the Adana district and the Gesaria region.” [11]

As previously noted, one of the main factors that spurred the development of Mersin was the railroad, one of the first to be laid down in the Ottoman Empire and the first in Cilicia. The Adana-Mersin line was first used in August 1886 and comprised 66,000 meters (66 kilometers) of tracks. [12]

In 1906, one of the leading newspapers of Constantinople gave the length of the Adana-Mersin line as 67 kilometers, and added that plans were made to connect it to the profitable Ereğli line. [13] In 1912, the Mersin train station was connected to the electrical network. [14] The presence of the railroad and its continued development contributed to all aspects of economic development in the province – an economy in which Armenians played an important role. The Armenian merchants, business owners, shopkeepers, and craftsmen of Mersin were dominant in almost all branches of both internal and external trade.

Mersin exported wheat, barley, oats, cotton, cottonseed, sesame, [15] twine, tahini, wool, peas, silkworm cocoons, animals (sheep, goats, cattle), cured meats, natural rubber, resin, saffron, wax, rugs, etc., most of which came from Gesaria, Niğde, and Kırşehir. These products, via Constantinople and Smyrna, were exported to Europe. Among the primary imports of Mersin were sugar, rice, fabric, iron, charcoal, and tobacco seeds. There was also progress in exploiting the local chromium mine. [16]

Until the 1910s, Mersin continued serving as a main hub supplying essential products to the internal provinces. On the eve of the First World War, the city was home to two cottonseed oil factories, one of which was owned by a Briton, and the other by an Armenian. These factories’ products were exported to Europe. [17]

An article in the Arevdour [Commerce] newspaper perhaps best described the clearly delineated and coordinated trading exchanges in Mersin. In addition to listing the sale volumes and the retail and wholesale prices of wheat, barley, flour, eggs, potatoes, and other products, the article also provided information on the commodities consumed by the population of Mersin. [18]

The fact that the Pyuragn Armenian newspaper of Constantinople, one of the leading contemporary Armenian newspapers with an economic focus, had a local reporter in Mersin; in addition to the many mentions of and reports on Mersin in the press, are evidence of the economic importance of the city and the decisive role that Armenians played in that economy. Moreover, contemporary commercial calendars and newsletters provide plenty of detailed information on Armenian merchants and their spheres of commercial activity. For example, European businesses were provided a commercial report on, and a list of, Armenian enterprises and merchants in Mersin. This list included the names of renowned merchants M. and C. Zelveyan and M. and G. Kuludjian. [19]

On January 24, 1907, a special report in Pyuragn conveyed the following facts: a large amount of product was piled up at the market of Djehri (Chehri [20]). Merchants from Gesaria, aiming to push up prices, sold this product only grudgingly. The supply of available sesame had reached 2,300/2,500 tons. In the wheat markets, it was said that the thaw in the internal provinces was beginning later than usual, which was resulting in delays in the arrival of camel caravans. The available wheat (100,000 kriv) was being sold at 45/50 para per okha (one okha was the equivalent of 1.282 kilograms). Wool, cotton, and hide were also sold at the market. The article detailed the demand for and prices of these commodities. There were reports of a steamship carrying 9,000 barrels of petroleum arriving from Batumi, and information was provided on the consumption of the previous consignment. There were also reports of imports of sugar, powdered sugar, wrapped sugar cubes, and British rice. [21]

Bedros Ourfalian, a merchant from Mersin, stated to the editorial team of Pyuragn on November 21, 1907, that cotton was being sold at 37-37.5 kurus and was generating significant revenue. The price of sesame was 3 37/40 kurus, that of wheat 83-85 para, and that of barley 45 para. Ourfalian also mentioned that an adequate amount of product was exported. [22]

The reports that frequently appeared in the contemporary press regarding the internal and external commercial relations of Mersin merchants, the extent of their dealings, and the lists of the items imported into and exported from the city not only describe a coordinated commercial system and the methods of skilled merchants, but also speak to these merchants’ ability to adapt to the times and cultivate far-sighted commercial and industrial relationships that allowed Mersin to develop.

In the late 19th century and early 20th century, individual Armenians merchants and Armenian commercial houses in Mersin achieved significant success. They not only operated in Mersin, but also established branches in other cities across the Ottoman Empire, Europe, and America. Conversely, Armenian companies founded in other parts of the Empire sought to establish branches in Mersin.

In 1880, the “G. Yavrouyan and Son” Armenian tea company, considered the largest in the East, had branches in Trabzon and Mersin. The company’s products were sold by almost all established tea sellers in the provinces. [23]

Mersin was home to a branch of the famous Gulbenkian trading house, as well as the trading houses of N. Ghazandjian and the Frengian Brothers. The latter had bought large plots of land in Mersin and the environs at a low price, and their value grew by the day. [24] This appreciation of land was tied to the soundings for petroleum in the coastal areas of Mersin, which had spurred many Armenian and non-Armenian speculators to buy as much land in the area as quickly as possible.

In 1892-1893, renowned businessman Calouste Gulbenkian purchased 250,000-300,000 deonum [25] of land from the “state miri” (provincial governor’s office). He intended to find petroleum under this land, as he had done in Mosul. [26]

In 1907, the Mersin-based reporter of Pyuragn wrote of the Turpani-Hamamdjian land dispute, noting that the value of the coastal plot of land at the center of this dispute had risen so much that it was no longer commensurate with its value. M. A. Turpani had been able to obtain the appropriate permissions and was slated to begin sounding for petroleum on that land. He had also begun negotiating with Messrs. Mangoyan and Keshishian, to arrange for their newly imported artesian well machine to be used for the first time in petroleum soundings. [27]

The Armenian merchants and trading houses of Mersin were involved in numerous domains, in all branches of commerce and industry.

There was a type of fish in the Mediterranean called kefal, which bred off the coast of Ayas (now Yumurtalık). [28] Greek experts were able to prepare the roe of this fish in a unique way.  Generally, the trade in roe was of a small scale, but the roe of this fish was sold even to Constantinople, to the sultan’s court. The Zelveyan Trading House is mentioned as being involved in this trade in Mersin, [29] but it is not clear whether they were importers or exporters.

The Zelveyans played a significant role in commerce and industry both in the city of Mersin and the province overall. They owned the cotton factory of Mersin. [30] They had imported modern cotton-processing machines from the United States. They were involved in the export [31] of cotton and chiyid. [32] The Zelvayans also owned the factory that produced cooking oil from olives and sesame. [33]

The “M. and C. S. Zelveyan Company” sold various items to European factories, made large deals involving Italian and British textiles, and was also the main collector and exporter of wool in the area. It was involved in the trade of cereal and animal hide on the Boston trading exchange. It also entered into deals involving minerals and produce [34] from the provinces. [35] M. Zelveyan was the representative of the Union Insurance Company in Mersin. [36] Moreover, the M. and C. S. Zelveyan Company was the representative in Mersin of the M. Gyumyushian Company. The steamship of Armenian businessman M. Gyumyushian first arrived at the port of Mersin on October 15, 1910. Gyumyushian imported 1,100 different products and exported more than 1,900 products and animals. [37]

The “Yousoufian and Kasabian” company’s focus was iron wares, produce from the provinces, cereal, petroleum, and other commodities. The company owned petroleum storage tanks and was the local representative of European sugar factories. It had branches in Constantinople, Gesaria, Adana, and Tarsus (Darson). [38] Yousoufian and Kasabian were also involved in importing embroidery and foodstuffs. [39]

The “Gulbenkian Sons and Manougian” company was involved in the large-scale trade of cereal and sesame. It sold provincial produce to the trading houses of Trieste. The company also exported sheep.

The “Misak Keshishian and Company” trading house was involved in the large-scale trade of cereal, cotton, cottonseed, sesame, iron wares, and djehri. The company had branches in Adana and Tarsus.

The “M. M. Shimshirian Sons” company was engaged in the trade of choukha, [40] cereal, sesame, and rugs. It also provided cash transfer services. It exported sheep. It owned eponymous trading houses in Gesaria and Trieste.

M. G. Kuludjian was involved in the trade of fabric and provincial produce, as well as cereal. He traded with Gesaria and other areas.

Hovhannes Cherchian was a trader in textile, soap, and cereal; as well as a local agent for various companies. As an agent, he worked in Gesaria, Ereğli, Karaman, Niyde, Kırşehir, Maden, and elsewhere.

Bedros S. Ourfalian imported and exported woven fabrics, agricultural machines, pipes, provincial produce, iron wares, dyes, etc. He was a collector of antiquities and rugs. He was the agent of the eponymous U.S.-based trading house. He imported Japanese antiquities directly from Yokohama. He was involved in trade with Adana and Tarsus. [41]

The “Yalunuzian-Bakhtiarian” company was engaged in the trade of cereal, sesame, and provincial produce. It was also involved in the rug trade. The company had a branch in Kırşehir and was involved in numerous trade deals.

The “N. Yesayan and Company” was involved in the trade of hide, beeswax, and cereal. It also exported cured meat. It was engaged in trade with Gesaria, Adana, Karaman, and Niğde.

Mihran Kehyayan was involved in the trade of hide, cereal, provincial produce, textile, etc.

Hagop Manuelian was engaged in the trade of wool, provincial produce, etc. with Gesaria and the surrounding area.

Hagop Kalpakian was engaged in the trade of provincial produce, dyes, cured meat, hide, rugs, etc.

The “Gerekmezian and Khachadourian” Company was involved in the trade of wool, beeswax, and other products with Everek and Gesaria.

The “Isbendjian and Djololian” company was involved in the trade of cereals and rugs. [42]

Sarkis Simeonian had extensive connections with the leading printing houses of Constantinople, and thanks to this, was able to obtain publications that were in demand in Mersin. He was engaged in the export of rubber and metallic stamps, at very competitive prices. He also provided various services as an agent and as a customs middleman. [43]

Mersin was home to the “Manuelian and Keshishian” factory that produced oil from cottonseed. This company did not cease operating even during the First World War. [44]

The commercial links between Mersin and Adana expanded with each passing year. The companies involved included the Fanfanel Schiffner, Orozdi-Bak, Errera, Shamlu Sons, Armaghanian, Bakurdjian Brothers, Mouradian and Kurmadjian, Paklavadjian, Mouradian Brothers, Der Aprahamian, and other companies. [45]

Aside from companies, Mersin was also home to many individual merchants. For example, Misak Keshishian and Hagop Manuelian were leading exporters. [46]

The trade in woven fabrics was also extensive, and involved many Armenian merchants, some of whom had established branches in Adana. Among the companies involved in this trade were the Ipranosian Brothers, Torigian-Markarian, Hagopian Brothers, Avedisian-Djeridian (Bon Marche), Avedisian-Keyishian, Yousoufian-Kasabian, Kalousdian-Djeridian (“Tash-Maghaza”), and Kouyoumdjian Brothers companies; as well as Cheomledjki-Oghlou, Barsoum Agha Bedrosian, Hovhannes Terzian, Mndigian Hadji Tateos Agha, Garabed Djeyirian, Onnig Iskenderian, Diran Kazandjian, Avedis Aghazarian, the brothers Krikor and Misak Azirian, and others. The city’s shopkeepers would purchase inventory from these merchants to sell locally, or would order their preferred wares from Beirut, Smyrna, or Constantinople. [47] Panos Agha Moushian was also involved in the production and importing of woven fabrics and cotton products; the Kradjian Brothers Company was involved in the trade of woven fabrics; Misak Keshishian was involved in the cotton trade; and the Kesdenian Brothers were retailers. [48] Christian Arabs and Hovhannes Lousararian imported products needed by the city’s shoemakers. [49]

Mersin’s unique geographic position and its port, and later its railroad, created the conditions necessary for the growth of the local economy. The city gradually became a transit hub that was an attractive destination not only for the various nationalities of the Ottoman Empire, but also for European trading houses and companies.

The examples we have listed demonstrate that both Armenian trading houses and individual Armenian merchants played an important role in the economic development of Mersin. After achieving success in their city of origin, they sought to expand to other cities across the Ottoman Empire, as well as to Europe and the United States, seeking new markets. Thanks to years of indefatigable work, they cultivated a reputation as trustworthy partners and agents with established and reliable businesses, both among other local business owners and foreign partners.

• [1] Tahir Sezen, Osmanlı Yer Adları, Ankara, T.C. Başbakanlık Devlet Arşivleri Genel Müdürlüğü, 2017, p. 7.
• [2] Misak Keleshian, Sis-Madyan, Beirut, Printing House of Armenian Djemaran, 1949, p. 19.
• [3] Hampartsoum Arakelian, Zeytoun: Deghakragan, Azkagragan, yev Varchagan Desoutyun [Zeytoun: Geographic, Ethnographic, and Administrative Overview], Tbilisi, Printing House of H. Mardirosyants, 1896, pp. 34-35.
• [4] Hrachig Simonian, Hayeri Zankvadzayin Godoradzneru Giligiayoum (1909 t. Abril) [The Massacres of Armenians in Cilicia (April 1909)], Yerevan, Yerevan State University Press, 2009, p. 23.
• [5] Kemal H. Karpat, Ottoman Population: 1830-1914, Demographic and Social Characteristics,London, The University of Wisconsin Press, 1985, p. 172.
• [6] Giligia. Ports Ashkharhakroutyan Arti Giligio, Peterburg [Cilicia. An Attempt at the Geography of Modern Cilicia. Petersburg], I. Liberman Printing House, 1894, p. 220.
• [7] Ibid., p. 193.
• [8] Raymond H. Kévorkian and Paul B. Paboudjian, 1915 Öncesinde Osmanlı İmparatorluğun’da Ermeniler, Istanbul, Aras Publishing House, 2012, p. 283.
• [9] Osman Köker, 100 yıl önce Türkiye’de Ermeniler, Istanbul, Bir Zamanlar yayıncılık, 2005, p. 242.
• [10] Kévorkian and Paboudjian, p. 63.
• [11] “Mersin and the Province of Adana,” Jamang Newspaper, Constantinople, number 1053, 9/22 March 1912, p. 1.
• [12] Krikor H. Kalousdian (Giligetsi), Marash gam Kermanig yev Heros Zeytoun [Marash or Kermanig and Heroic Zeytoun], New York, Gochnag Printing House, 1934, pp. 23-24.
• [13] “The Mersin Trading Exchange,” Pyuragn Weekly, Constantinople, 3 June 1906, number 19, p. 453.
• [14] “Mersin and the Province of Adana,” Jamang, number 1053, 9/22 March 1912, p. 1.
• [15] Sesame (sousam, gndjit, gndjout, or kndjout). This plant was also used to make oil, known as sesame oil.
• [16] “The Mersin Trading Exchange,” Pyuragn Weekly, 3 June 1906, number 319, p. 454.
• [17] Yenovk Armen, “For the Revival of Cilicia – Economic Life,” Azadamard Newspaper, Constantinople, number 1514, 17/30 May 1914, p. 1.
• [18] Arevdour [Commerce], Constantinople, number 2, 18 October 1908, pp. 43-44.
• [19] “Agents/Merchants,” Pyuragn, 15 April 1906 number 12, p. 287.
• [20] Djehri: a bush-like plant of the rubiaceae family with yellow flowers and red rhizomes that were used in dye-making. A reddish-yellow dye was obtained from this plant’s roots.
• [21] “The Mersin Trading Exchange,” Pyuragn, 3 February 1907, number 11-12, pp. 280-281.
• [22] “Commerce in Mersin,” Pyuragn, 1 December 1907, number 49, pp. 1767-1768.
• [23] Azadamard, number 1458, 8/21 March 1914, p. 3.
• [24] Giligia. Ports Ashkharhakroutyan Arti Giligio, Peterburg, p. 222.
• [25] Turkishdeonum = 40 x 40 gankoun = 1,600 square gankoun, or, the gankoun used to measure land equivalent to 75 centimeters, 1 deonum = 900 square meters (Pyuzant Yeghiayan, Adanayi Hayots Badmoutyun [The Armenian History of Adana], published by the Adana Compatriotic Union, Antilias (Lebanon), Printing House of the Holy See of Cilicia, 1970, p. 146).
• [26] Ibid., p. 298.
• [27] “Commercial Life in the Provinces,” Pyuragn, 6 April 1915, number 15, p. 680.
• [28] Yumurta (Turkish): egg. Presumably, the toponym Yumurtalık originated from the fact that this fish spawned in the area and meant “site of spawning.” 
• [29] Garabed P. Ashukian, Ouzoun Ashukian Kertasdani Badmoutyunu[The History of the Ouzoun Ashukian Clan],Beirut, G. Donigian Printing House, 1968, p. 129.
• [30] Ibid., pp. 133-134.
• [31] Çiğit (Turkish): cottonseed.
• [32] Yeghiayan, p. 164.
• [33] Ibid., p. 159.
• [34] “Provincial produce” or kaghtaperk: produce from the provinces; any produce exported from the provinces, such as coffee, tea, rubber, etc. (Sdepanos Malkhasyants, Armenian Explanatory Dictionary, Yerevan, publication of the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic, 1944, p. 430).
• [35] “The Mersin Trading Exchange,”Pyuragn, 3 June 1906, number 19, p. 455.
• [36] “The Burning of National Properties in Mersin,” Jamanag, number 795, 16/29 May 1911, p. 1.
• [37] Djamport [Traveler], “Cilician Chronicle,”Jamanag, number 625, 26 October/8 November 1910, p. 1.
• [38] “The Mersin Trading Exchange,”Pyuragn, 3 June 1906, number 19, p. 455.
• [39] Yeghiayan, p. 158.
• [40] Choukha: textile made with fine wool; broadcloth (Malkhasyants, p. 30).
• [41] “The Mersin Trading Exchange,” Pyuragn, 3 June 1906, number 19, p. 455.
• [42] “The Mersin Trading Exchange,”Pyuragn, 17 June 1906, number 21, pp. 502-503.
• [43] Pyuragn, 1 April 1906, number 10.
• [44] Yeghiayan, p. 159.
• [45] “The Mersin Trading Exchange,”Pyuragn, 3 June 1906, number 19, p. 454.
• [46] Ashukian, p. 130.
• [47] Yeghiayan, p. 158.
• [48] Hagop B. Boghosian, Hadjuni Unthanour Badmoutyunu yev Shrchaga Kozan-Daghi Hay Kyugheru [The General History of Hadjun and the Armenian Villages of Nearby Kozan-Dagh], published by the Hadjun Compatriotic Rebuilding Society, Los Angeles (California), Bozadjian Printing House, 1942, p. 179.
• [49] Yeghiayan, p. 158.