A History of Eyüp Toy-Making
From the horse cart Hasan Efendi made for his grandchildren to the last master Halit Şengöz, and on to today's workshop — the known milestones of Eyüp toy-making.
1565 — Hasan Efendi
Hasan Efendi, a resident of Eyüp Sultan, set out in the 1500s to make a toy horse cart for his grandchildren. Along that road he designed more than 30 toys and taught many masters after him, giving birth to the craft of Eyüp toy-making.
1635 — Evliya Çelebi’s record
The famed traveller Evliya Çelebi, writing of the Eyüp quarter in his Seyahatnâme, records 100 toy-making shops forming a guild of 105 masters. The Toymakers’ Bazaar still stands in Eyüp Sultan today — it no longer sells toys, but its name has survived to our day.
1955 — The last master
The last Eyüp toymaker, Halit Şengöz, carried on for 31 years in the shop he took over in 1924 from his father Kadri Şengöz. Unable to compete with the plastic and tin toys spreading in those years, he gave up production in 1955. With the last master’s retirement, a tradition stretching from the 1500s to 1955 — 455 years — came to an end.
2005 — Rebirth
A joint protocol between the History Foundation, Eyüp Municipality and İşkur launched a project, funded by the EU, to bring Eyüp Toys back into production. Women of Eyüp were trained in the craft, and a new generation of Eyüp Toy Masters was raised.
2017 — The Traditional Eyüp Toymaker
Şennur Ülker, one of the masters trained in 2005, founded the Traditional Eyüp Toymaker to carry the tradition forward and keep Eyüp Toys alive. The workshop continues to promote Eyüp Toys in Turkey and abroad through exhibitions and workshops; in 2019 Şennur Ülker was granted the title of Wooden Toy Master by the Ministry of Culture.
