Sultan Tanners

Working at Sultan Tanners on Jajmau Road means you get used to a very specific way of life. Jajmau is famous for leather, and we are right in the thick of it. The air always has that heavy, earthy smell of raw hides and the chemicals we use for tanning. It’s not a job for everyone, but it’s what we do. Our building is right on the main road, so we see all the carts and trucks carrying skins back and forth all day long. Inside, it’s usually damp and there is a lot of water on the floors from the soaking process. We spend our hours moving heavy pieces of leather from one vat to another. It’s physical work and your clothes usually end up stained by the end of the shift. We don't have a showroom or any place for guests to sit comfortably. It’s just a working tannery. We focus on getting the texture right and making sure the hides don't spoil in the heat. The sun beats down on the roof, making it pretty warm inside, but we have big exhaust fans that help a little bit. Most of us have lived in this area our whole lives, so the noise of Jajmau Road is just background music to us. We take the raw stuff and turn it into something useful, piece by piece, every single day.