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ANNEXES Turquie
Annexe I : Edit de Bursa (Kanunname-i Ihtisab)
Source : http://www.kulturturizm.gov.tr/portal/kultur_en.asp?belgeno=4982
BURSA EDICT OF STANDARDS
The document named the Bursa Edict of Standards, issued by Emperor Bayezıd II in 1502, is the
world’s first standard in the modern sense. This 500-year- old document, of which the original is in
the Revan Library of Topkapı Museum, covered standard rules in accordance with the local
characteristics and product ranges of such provinces and areas as Amasya, Aydın, Arapkir, Çankırı,
Diyarbakır, Edirne, Erzurum, çel, Karahisar, Karaman, Mardin, Musul, Rize and Sivas in addition
to Bursa. Containing sound standards in a vast field from food to textiles and from market vendors’
aprons to weights of gold jewellery sold by goldsmiths, the Bursa Edict of Standards is a valuable
historical document evidencing the importance attributed by Turks to the production and
standardisation of products.
Here is how the scroll reads:
Orders received from the Emperor requires that all businessmen and merchants in Bursa should be
thoroughly inquired on how and when the prices of clothes, wearing apparels and foodstuffs and
their varieties are determined, that all gathered information with as much detail as possible should
be entered on a ledger, that evidence should be collected regarding the basis on which the prices
used to be determined when the Emperor acceded to the throne, that data should be obtained on the
subsequent changes in the prices together with the reasons thereof, that no ambiguities should be
left in the knowledge so obtained and that they should be properly scribed on a ledger, which
should be absolutely complete since it will be used as a law to be abided by all citizens.
In obedience to the imperial orders, businessmen, merchants and assessors from each field were
gathered in turns and asked how the prices were determined, whether there were any changes since
then and what were the reasons of the changes and when they were introduced. They all replied that
the old rules of business were no longer being obeyed and that all prices had been completely
tampered with and raised up in the last five or six years in such a manner that the previously
determined prices were no longer valid.
First inspections and inquiries were made among the bakers. They said that the prices of bread were
previously being determined by reliable assessors appointed by judges. The expert witnesses acted
in strict impartiality and set the prices depending on the price and quality of the wheat. The decision
of the assessors was such that one Bursa mud of medium quality wheat costed 100 akças, the best
one commanding a price of 110 and the somewhat lower quality sold for 85. Thus one 700 dirham
loaf of bread would be sold for one akça and this price would be redetermined whenever there was a
change in the wheat price. It was required that the flour should be sieved through a fine mesh, that
the bread should be baked well, have a white colour and be devoid of improper odours.
Samples of bread were then brought from several bakeries to find out whether these conditions were
being obeyed. It was noted that most of the loaves were underbaked, blackish in colour and
underweight. Asked about the underlying reasons for this situation, bakers replied that municipal
controllers were tolerating this by receiving five to ten akças a day from each bakery. The matter
had become so commonplace that the municipality had to issue an order to the controllers to quit
the practice of receiving bribes. But this did not improve the situation and they continued receiving
their palm greases and tolerating the sale of low-quality bread to the people. They receive this
money under the pretext of as fine; but they pocket it in reality and look the other way when the
underweighted low quality bread is sold. Therefore was asked the city’s mayor whether he knew
about it. He said that he was appointed to this past only a few days ago and that his secretary and
usherer were in the municipality for many years and in a position to give a satisfactory reply. When
these two officials were approached and asked why they tolerated this practice, they confessed their
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