“To Produce Instead, to Consume Instead, to Invite to Consume Instead”
Using the traditional methods taught by Syrian women, who carried the knowledge of Mesopotamia, Aleppo Soaps, which have been produced for centuries while staying true to nature’s essence, found their name “Şemim,” which means “fragrant.”
Şemim, which is derived from olives grown in the Derik district of Mardin, which is one of the finest olive oil varieties in the world, became a cultural heritage. This ecosystem, where a single seed transforms into an extensive chain of benefits, started working together to preserve the tradition for the future.
This soap workshop, which was established to carry this tradition into the future, is the heritage of Şemim Soaps, which are prepared in the same way by boiling in stone vessels, sealing by hand, and containing no additives as they were produced centuries ago. When the legacy of Şemim Soaps, which are produced by combining the knowledge and labor of a group of women, just as they were centuries ago.
When the reputation of Şemim Soaps, which is produced by using traditional Aleppo methods, spread throughout the country, the demand increased, production grew, and new needs arose. The “From Soil to Plate Agricultural Development Cooperative” added Şemim Soaps to its journey after Sorgül, Mesopotamia’s golden-haired daughter.
The growing demand led to the idea of establishing a soap production factory that would adhere to the production conditions of traditionally made Aleppo soaps.
The production professionalized under the cooperative’s roof in an old Mardin house covering an area of 750 square meters, and which is built in 1890 with white stones, brought hope to olive producers and became an income for the women working in the soap workshop.
Turkey’s First Experiential Restaurant
Zamarot 1890, which is founded by Ebru Baybara Demir in Mardin Mesopotamia, which is the land of firsts where the history began and which is the multilingual, multicultural, and multifaceted city of and which symbolizes the other initials, and which is known as the most tasteful city,
is Turkey’s first “sixth sense” restaurant within the ecosystem created by the cooperative structure, bringing together “local products,” “local cuisine,” and “local human resources.”
A Handful of Seeds; Local Products and Traditional Flavors
First, a handful of seeds were scattered into the soil…. Seeds that had almost been forgotten found solace in the joy of remembrance and clutched to the earth, and their stalks reaching for the sun. Sorgül… Despite climate change, she returned to her own land to become the future of tradition. The seeds multiplied with abundance. They turned into flour, cracked wheat, and bread. The golden-haired girl, who once fits into a hand, had become a source of flavor from the fields to our tables. One day, a farmer appeared with tomatoes in his hands. The small farmer, who is unable to reach major buyers, wanted to sell his product. The women, who had previously only made soap, sold not the tomatoes but the tomato paste they produced from tomato. Other farmers hearing this brought one by one their handicraft products to the cooperative. The From Soil to Plate Agricultural Development Cooperative embarked on a new journey with the products of small-scale farmers in the region after Şemim and Sorgül. As local products reproduced, the flavors in people’s memories were refreshed. Women started cooking to create the future tradition with recipes passed down from their mothers. Chickpeas, cracked wheat, and rice were packaged in cloth bags; jams, sauces, and condiments were cooked in cauldrons on handicraft basis. This is how the region’s flavor heritage was preserved.
ZAMAROT 1890: An Abundant Table…
In this building that has stood for over 130 years, a table was set where everything from the earth found its value as it was brought to the plate. It was a table where offerings from nature were gratefully received and prepared and presented through collective effort. At Zamarot 1890, Turkey’s first zero-waste restaurant, every presentation on the table was made from the finest local products. The olive oil, which is extracted from the olives of Mardin Derik, and where the world’s most valuable culinary olive oil is produced, brought the tradition of the Eastern Mediterranean Cuisine to the forefront through traditional methods. Sorgül, the golden-haired daughter of Mesopotamia, found her place on a restaurant menu for the first time in Turkey.
The Derik olives and olive oil that came from Derik to our table were used with a zero-waste approach in the production of Şemim soaps
A Journey You Can Feel with Your Heart
In this building that has stood for over 130 years, we offer you the thousand-year-old life of olive oil, from the olive’s pit to the producer and from oil to soap, together with a magnificent design harmonizing with the abundance of the earth, just as Zamarot’s own journey of discovery.
With this design, we not only carry Mardin’s olive oil culinary culture into the future but also introduce you to the production technique of Aleppo soaps, which have a history of thousands of years, accompanied by the delightful scent of olives.
