Coffee/Spice Grinder (Oksen)
Name/Title
Coffee/Spice Grinder (Oksen)Description
Oksen Aknayan (also spelled Eknaian) was a maker of coffee grinders active in early 20th-century Constantinople. His name is inscribed on a surviving coffee grinder as: "Oksen Aknayan – Dersaadet – Tophane Caddesi Numara 355", indicating that his workshop or place of business was located at No. 355, Tophane Caddesi in the district historically known as Dersaadet. Aknayan is listed in the 1908 edition of the Annuaire Oriental, a prominent commercial and administrative directory of the Ottoman Empire. His residential address is given as Rue Sakız Ağacı 89, a street in the central neighborhoods of the city. By the 1922 edition, his name no longer appears, suggesting that he may have emigrated, ceased his trade, or passed away during this period of political and social turmoil, especially for the Armenian community of the Ottoman Empire. The building at 355 Tophane Caddesi, where Aknayan operated his workshop, was once a mixed-use commercial structure housing a variety of small businesses. It has since been demolished due to road expansion works in the area, a common fate for many historic structures in the rapidly modernizing city.Category
Coffee/Spice Grinders