Ayntap’s development in the field of handicrafts and trade was mainly determined by the unprecedented progress in handicrafts. Since the first half of the 19th century, it was the most popular craft in Ayntap.
Human work probably entered Ayntap from the Arabkir side. In the beginning, tailor’s thread (yarn) was imported from Europe, from which patterns (alachas) with various designs were made.
From the 1850s, with the import of better quality white and colored yarns, the local production underwent some changes. For the use of these fine and delicate threads, lighter and better fabrics were created, which became the basis of the craft, the production of colored cloth. Gradually attracting new craftsmen and markets, handicrafts began to become the largest branch of industry in the city, improving the economic condition of the Armenians of Ayntap more and more. The press of the time reported that Ayntap was a truly industrial town and that the trade in woven patterns (manusai-alacha) was of great importance in local commerce, not only from the point of view that the majority of the town’s population made a living from this trade, but also because the weaving industry (manusai) had a great impact on trade and commerce in all directions of handicraft.
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