Kayseri

A 2005 European Stability Initiative study coined the term 'Islamic Calvinists' for Kayseri's entrepreneurs—devout, family-oriented businesspeople who built industrial empires through communal solidarity, ethical labor practices, and Islamic participation banks that avoid interest. This ethos made Kayseri one of the original 'Anatolian Tigers,' the inland Turkish cities that powered export-driven growth after Turgut Özal's 1980s liberalization.

Kayseri specialized in furniture and textiles. The October 2024 ANAMOB Anatolian Furniture Fair—Turkey's largest—drew hundreds of manufacturers and international buyers to the province's Organized Industrial Zone. These businesses typically remain family-owned, rooted in conservative communities, and deliberately distinct from the secular, finance-heavy conglomerates of Istanbul's coastal elite.

The model has proved resilient but faces questions. A 2024 academic study found that while Anatolian Tigers show significant export potential and long-term sales capacity, they lag in attracting foreign direct investment. The communal, inward-looking capital formation that enabled their rise may limit their ability to scale globally.

Yet the cultural substrate persists. Furniture production clusters in industrial zones built on generations of craft tradition. The ANAMOB fair represents not just trade shows but the institutionalization of a production philosophy—that disciplined, values-based manufacturing can compete without adopting Western corporate structures.

For 2026, Kayseri's trajectory depends on whether Islamic Calvinism remains competitive in an increasingly globalized economy, or whether the model that powered Turkey's industrial heartland will require adaptation to attract the foreign investment its export capacity deserves.