By the late nineteenth century, Susurluk’s town population reached about two thousand, and the combined populations of the twenty or so villages in the Susurluk district totaled about ten thousand. Most of the people were sedentary Turks, engaged in a primitive, plow agriculture. They farmed the fertile plains and river valleys, living in homes of reed and thatch. They had long since acquired the appellation “Manav” (fruit and vegetable people) probably to distinguish them from the pastoral nomads (known as Yuruk and Turkmen).

These nomads had begun to take on a more sedentary life, in newly established hill settlements, while they still specialized in animal husbandry.  Interspersed among these Turks was a small number of Arabs whose forefathers may have been either ghazi warriors or caravan travelers who decided to end their wanderings.  The town of Susurluk also had an important minority of skilled Greeks and Armenians employed as builders, shoemakers, metalworkers, bakers, wine-makers, and retail tradesmen.  In addition, over one hundred Armenian men lived and worked at a boracite quarry four miles south of the town.

The town’s weekly market provided an important mechanism for the social integration of these economically and ethnically diverse peoples.  Once a week, villagers and townspeople came together to exchange their products for the provisions, clothing, or tools that they lacked.  The Manavs provided poultry, eggs, fruits, and vegetables.  The formerly nomadic Turks brought milk, yogurt, cheese, hides, and meat on the hoof, as well as woven bags and rugs.  The Christians supplied crafted leather and metal products.  Greek grocers sold non-local items, like salt, sugar, and tea.  Relatives and friends visited each other, and men gathered in coffeehouses to exchange news and enjoy the oral folk art of local raconteurs.

Together, these peoples created a unified culture from a diversity of parts.  They exchanged vocabulary, tales, riddles, folk beliefs, rituals, recipes, and work skills.  Prohibited from making alcoholic beverages themselves, many Muslims appreciated the proximity of Christian neighbors whose grape products added warmth and glow to festive occasions.  Large landowners hired Greek and Armenian craftsmen to build homes of stone and mudbrick, and Christian craftsmen took on Muslim boys as apprentices, teaching them the lore and skills of their trades.