Knife Culture

Knives, which have a special place among Bursa handicrafts from the past to the present, are still famous today. Starting from Orhangazi, the tools of the first seven sultans such as swords, daggers, axes and spears were the work of Bursa iron-knife masters. All of the weapons such as swords, daggers and wedges of about 70 thousand Ottoman soldiers who participated in the war between Bayezid and Timur were made in Bursa. In the later periods, the blacksmiths and knife masters from Bursa, who also met the needs of the Ottoman army, met the sword and dagger needs of some of our soldiers in the Gallipoli and Independence Wars. In the first years of the Republic, due to the decrease in the use of weapons such as swords and daggers, changes were made in the knife making technique; various types of knives such as bread knife, table knife, fruit knife started to be produced. It is known that there are an average of 150 types of knives made with traditional methods, according to their usage areas. The master who made the knife traditionally engraves his own name on the knife. Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, who received the knives sent him by Bursa knife master Remzi Sarıçetin, sent a letter of thanks to Master Remzi on 02.10.1922; and wrote: “Master Remzi! I will keep your knives, which are your masterpieces of art, not as a token of a Turkish master from Bursa, but as a proof of your national talent for your art. Until a hundred years ago, we Turks used to build everything with our own hammer, on our own anvil, and sell it with our own hands in our own bazaar. That's why we were a great nation. The era that has opened now is the iron age. I would like to see you among our greatest masters in this period and I congratulate you”. Bursa knife has been registered in the name of Bursa as a geographical indication product in order to promote and protect the Bursa knife.