Barbering

Barbering is a profession focused on cutting, styling, and maintaining human hair and beards. Historically, it also encompassed various health services such as circumcision, dentistry, and cupping therapy. Current professional practices include hair dyeing, blow-drying, and specialized hair and skin care services.

^{A Barber Shop in Türkiye}(AA)

Barbering derives from the Italian word barbièr / barbiere, meaning “one who shaves beards.” ^【1】 This term itself originates from the Italian barba, meaning “beard.” Thus, etymologically, barbering refers to “one who attends to or cuts beards.” The word berber entered Turkish from Persian. ^【2】 This linguistic connection aligns with the profession’s primary focus on facial hair care. Similar roots are found in Western languages: English barber, French barbier. Additionally, in the early 20th century, particularly with the spread of wig-making and Western-style hairstyling, the profession was occasionally referred to by its French-derived term perukâr.

The profession of barbering extends back to ancient civilizations including Ancient Egypt, Assyria, Phoenicia, and Hellenistic cultures. In these societies, barbers performed not only aesthetic services but also religious, social, and even medical functions.

• Ancient Egypt (c. 5000 BCE): Barbering is among the earliest recorded professions. In Ancient Egypt, barbers were regarded as high-status personal care specialists, and hygiene became an integral part of social life.

• Ancient Greece and Rome: Barber shops were central hubs of social life in these civilizations. In Rome especially, being clean-shaven and well-groomed became a symbol of civilization and social status.

In medieval Europe, barbers expanded the medical dimension of their profession:

• Medical Practices: Beginning in the 12th century, following papal decrees that prohibited clergy from performing bloodletting, procedures such as phlebotomy, tooth extraction, abscess treatment, and wound dressing were entrusted to barbers.

• Institutional Separation: In England, barbers and surgeons merged under a single guild in 1540, but this combined medical and surgical practice was formally dissolved in 1745 when they became separate companies. This separation returned barbering to its core functions of personal care and aesthetic services.

During the Ottoman period, barbering became an integral part of social life. In early Ottoman times, men who cut hair and beards were known as halik or ser-teraş. ^【3】 Initially serving from corners of coffeehouses, barbers moved to independent shops after Sultan Murad IV ordered the closure of coffeehouses. In the post-Tanzimat era, specialization increased, and some groups branched off into medical professions such as surgery, dentistry, and pharmacy.

^{Barbering in the Ottoman Period}(picrly)

• Broad Service Range: Ottoman barbers provided not only hair and beard cutting but also essential medical and surgical services such as tooth extraction, circumcision, and cupping therapy. By the late 19th century, as the healthcare system modernized, these medical procedures were prohibited for barbers to perform.

• Social Space Function: Barber shops—or early coffeehouse barber corners—functioned as centers of social interaction where news, political opinions, and social critiques were exchanged, shaping public opinion.

• Tools and Attire: The main tools used by barbers included razors, razor strops, beard combs, soap, shaving brushes, peştamals, shaving mirrors, water vessels (sitil), towels, and ointment bottles. Their attire featured embroidered shirts, mintans, şalvars, embroidered peştamals, felt caps, and fezzes. Some barbers adorned their fezzes with sickle-shaped ornaments to demonstrate their tooth extraction skills.

• Place in Art and Culture: Barbering was frequently depicted in Ottoman miniatures and figurative paintings. Detailed scenes of barbers’ attire, tools, and client interactions appear in works such as Levni’s miniatures and the Ralamb Costume Book.

From the reign of Abdülhamid II onward, Western-style barber shops opened, introducing modern furniture and equipment. These establishments, known as perukâr, also sold products such as cologne, hair dye, canes, and umbrellas. During the Republican era, the term perukâr was abandoned, and berber regained widespread usage.

Modern barbering has expanded to focus on personal aesthetics and care.

• Core Services: Barbering includes basic practices such as hair cutting using scissors and clippers, traditional and modern beard shaving, and shaping of beards and mustaches.

^{A View of a Modern Barber Shop (}pexels⁾

• Aesthetic and Chemical Treatments: Modern barber shops also offer various hair styling and chemical treatments such as hair coloring, lightening, blow-drying, and perming.

• Care Services: Barbers further enhance the personal care experience by offering additional services such as hair and skin masks, facial massage, and eyebrow and ear cleaning.

In the Republic of Türkiye, practicing barbering is subject to legal requirements and specific educational standards.

• Education System: Entry into the profession traditionally follows the apprenticeship, journeyman, and master system.

• Certification: Upon completion of practical and theoretical training, the Ministry of National Education (MEB) issues Journeyman and Master Certificates.

• Opening a Business: To independently open and operate a business, a Master Certificate is typically required. This process aims to uphold professional standards and ensure compliance with hygiene regulations.