19 JISHIM 2006, 5 Introduction The word attar, derived from the Arabic root ıtr, which means scent or fragrance, is falsely used today in colloquial language as aktar. The attar shops sel- ling attar of scenting herbage and dealing in nice odors during Ottoman period can be discerned as the prototypes of pharmacies in the present. The attars, who could be expected to have the knowledge of a pharmacist, were to beware of preserving the subs- tances in their shops in good conditions. A wide ran- ge of substances were kept in their shops. Some of these include various dried herbs, leaves, flowers, se- eds and wholesome herbage as well as vegetable, ani- mal and metallic substances. As part of their job, the attars were also engaged in preparing the medicament recommended by physicians to their patients with prescription. They used to prepare purgatives or laxa- tives, medicated taffy, salve and mixtures such as to- nic to that end by boiling or cooking (1). The Place of Attars within the Ottoman Guild System Guilds can be defined as the professional organi- zations that are specialized in particular branches of business sectors engaged in producing goods and ser- vices. The Ottoman guilds were organized in speci- alized and limited groups. If we take leather industry, for example, various stages of this industry from ani- mal husbandry to making shoes as final consumer go- ods were organized in separate guilds. Drovers and cattle dealers (celeps) engaged in live animal trade, butchers (kasap) doing the slaughter, tanners proces- sing raw skin and hide into leather, merchants distri- buting the processed leather, and shoe-markers pro- ducing the final goods were organized independently into autonomous guilds. Furthermore, professionals dealing with different raw materials or final products at each stage were organized into separate groups. For example, butchers dealing with sheep and cattle subscribed to different unions. Likewise, the artisans making final products were organized according to their specialization such as shoe-makers, boot-ma- kers, inner boot makers, and slipper makers. What is more, producers of these goods were further branc- hed according to the color and shape of the shoes matching with the dress code or tradition of different religious communities such as the Muslims, Greeks, Armenians, and Jews (2). The highest supervisor of guilds (hirfet) was ge- nerally called warden (kethüda). In some branches Notes On The Attar-Poets In Ottoman History: Reflections From The Shari’a Court Records Of Bursa And Poets’ Biographies Dr. Ömer DÜZBAKAR*, Dr. Özlem ERCAN** * Uludag University, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Department of History, Bursa, Turkey. ** Uludag University, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Department of Turkish Language and Literature, Bursa, Turkey. e-mails: oduzbakar@gmail.com; ozlemercan1@yahoo.com Traders who deal in fragrant substances, attar of roses, medicine, spices, and other small objects are called attars, herbalists, perfumers, and sometimes pharmacists. In this study, attars have been examined as part of the Ottoman trade guilds. While the study gives information about the Ottoman trade guilds and their functioning on the one hand, it also attaches particular emphasis to the world and activities of attars. The study has been based on, and contextualized in, the Shari’a Court Records of Bursa (BŞS) as well as the biographies of poets. Key Words: Bursa Shari’a Court Records (BŞS), biographies of poets, attars (perfumers, herbalists, and pharmacists), trade guilds. Summary