Constructed under the Ottoman Empire in the early 1900s and rebuilt due to safety concerns in the 1960s, the historic center carries traces of the past into the present.

Together with reflecting the Ottoman era’s commercial life, this long-standing center promotes the surviving traditional handicrafts as well as the nearly extinct vocations of saddlery and «naht,» a type of art involving the carving of wood.

The center also gets its name from its entirely wooden structure as “ahşap” means “wood” in English.

“Operating as a hotel previously, the building is now a business facility,” explained Hasan Basri Karnabat, one of the tradespeople at the center. “There are six to seven more centers like this one around. Some are still in use, while others have been demolished.”

Providing a nostalgic atmosphere, the center has grown in popularity over time as a destination for both domestic and international tourists eager to capture photographs inside this unique building, one of the few remaining of its kind.

Hüseyin Kabacalı, one of the business owners at the center, opted to dedicate his post-retirement era to dealing with the vocation of «naht.»