He tells us about the difference of these plants from each other. For instance, ‘tülümbe’ has a smell that is different from the smell of ‘şapişa’ when sweeping. He states that ‘maca’ does not have a smell but is a hard and spikey plant, and it is better for cleaning goat farms

 

"I tie them large. We use to tie with ‘şinya’.But it takes a lot of time. So I tie with strings. During the summer I push the brooms with stones and water them so that they are stronger. During the summer brooms are more durable. For a broom to be durable, mixed plants are needed to be used and of course sweeping must be done properly.”

 

Brooms of the past are now only found in villages and certain houses. Producers of these brooms that were one of the main items of each house in the past and used for cleaning the garden and the farms are a few in numbers. Osman Sadrazam from Tepebaşı village has been sustaining an old tradition since he is 14. He still practices this work that he learned from his uncle, even though not quite as often. He is worried that this occupation will no longer continue to be practices.

 

“Let’s learn it kid...”

 

Osman Sadrazam who was borned on 19 December 1961 in Tepebaşı and has two children is one of the few people who still practices broom-making that he learned from his late uncle. Sadrazam tells us that his uncle told him when he was 14 years old “Let’s learn it kid so that you have a memory...” Nowadays, he tells his children to learn. First of all, he complains that there is not a lot of people interested in this trade, adding that “the elders do it better anyways” and states that there is not much of a demand for the broom nowadays. Osman Sadrazam says “People used to use these all the time.” One can see that he misses the old days from his eyes. 

 

The best smelling is ‘şapişa’ and the best cleaning is ‘maca’

 

As we converse about these handmade brooms with Osman Sadrazam who we visited at his home, we ask about the types of plants used for its creation. He tells us that the choice of plants depends on the region and then he counts them: ‘maca’, twig, ‘şapişa’, ‘tülümbe’... He tells us about the difference of these plants from each other. For instance, ‘tülümbe’ has a smell that is different from the smell of ‘şapişa’ when sweeping. He states that ‘maca’ does not have a smell but is a hard and spikey plant, and it is better for cleaning goat farms. He also mention Şapişa is found in Koruçam.


The most commonly used is ‘tülümbe’

 

Osman Sadrazam engages in nature to produce the brooms that are used to clean the gardens, barns, farms, streets. For instance, he tells us that he finds ‘şapişa’ on the slopes of the  hills under the shadow and at the forests. Of course he knows the places to find them as he has been engaged in this trade for years. He tells us that around Tepebaşı there is more of ‘tülümbe’ and not much of maca. For this reason, he tells us that he uses ‘tülümbe’ most of the times.

 

No one ties it with ‘şinya’ anymore

 

He goes back to when he first started making brooms with Osman Sadrazam and this is how he continues to narrate: I learned broom making from my late uncle. We used to pull ‘tülümbe’ out with him. Back then we used to tie with ‘şinya’ with my uncle’s instructions. We used to call it “roji.” We used to twist and tie it; I learned how to do it one step at a time. I can never forget; I used to tie it faster than my uncle. He used to tell me “Hey kid, you will make your master go bankrupt; you tie it better and faster than me!” Nowadays no one ties it with ‘şinya’, now we do it with thread.   

 

‘Maca’ and ‘tülümbe’ are strong

 

Then Osman Sadrazam tells us about broom-making: First we prepare the stick from carob tree. You can use either carob tree or juniper tree but the sturdiest one is the juniper tree. If the stick is bent, we straighten it with a bit of fire. Then we grind our stick and make it straighter. Then we find our tülümbes either in the valley or the forest. We choose them carefully and align them next to each other. We lay our stick to the ground and tie it with a threat. We mix ‘tülümbe’ and ‘maca’ and tie them all together. That way we have a more durable broom. People from Paphos call ‘tülümbe’ “Rumbi.”

 

“My brooms are big”

 

Sadrazam tells us that if used properly, his brooms can last up to two months.  “I tie them large. We use to tie with ‘şinya.’ But it takes a lot of time. So I tie with strings from ‘bala.’ During the summer I push the brooms with stones and water them so that they are stronger. During the summer brooms are more durable. For a broom to be durable, mixed plants are needed to be used and of course sweeping must be done properly.” He tells us that he only taught this to his brother; he states with discomfort that no one else approached him to learn about it. He adds that he sells small brooms at the festivals and tries to keep the tradition alive.