the guild's chief was a public officer called "kethüda". he was paid by the guild but appointed by the "kadı" of istanbul. fixation of prices and taxes were matter of the "kethüda". he was joined by a representative of the guild's member, called "yiğitbaşı" ('chief of the brave young fellows'). these two officers were flanked by the assembly of the elders, non necessarily old in age, but comprising the most experienced traders. parallel to the guilds, there were purely religious organizations, called "fütüvvet tariks". their members met in dervish shrines and performed religious functions. these organizations became less and less important with time due to the increased weight of the greek, armenian and jews merchants in the bazaar's trade. each guild had a financial department which collected a moderate monthly fee (some silver coins; ) from the members and administered it taking care of the needs of each associated person. the guilds lost increasingly their importance during the tanzimat period, and were abolished in 1913, being replaced by an association of bazaar merchants. nowadays, there are several merchant associations in the bazaar, but none is representative of the whole seller community.