The author has worked with Ottoman archival records to analyse the ways in which the alimentary needs of Istanbul’s residents, with respect to grain were met from the eighteenth century to the first half of the nineteenth century. He utilises very valuable archival sources such as registers of imperial orders (ahkam defterleri), complaints (şikayet defterleri) and important affairs (mühimme defterleri), as well as court records (kadı sicilleri).
The book looks into the way grain stocks were brought over from production areas, investigating the types of organisations in places of purchase, the duties of product officials, the detection of black-market, contraband and fraudulent sales, the role of the private sector in addition to that of the state, in the purchase of grain stocks alongside the state, the millers and bakeries of Istanbul and the way they operated, as well as the importance given to bread by the state. Consulting primary source material, the author has also tried to shed light on issues such as the pricing of grain in the areas of production and the pricing of bakery products produced in Istanbul as well as, the wages and purchase power of bakery and mill workers. The types, amounts and prices of grain brought over to the main ports of the empire from various provinces, are presented in tables within the text.
The final part of the book comprises tables detailing the amount of grain sent over to Istanbul, shown according to its origins (the Mediterranean, the Black Sea and Arabia) and the relevant ports. Also included are original samples of archival material with transcriptions. The book depends mainly on Ottoman archival sources, with very limited use of secondary material. It addresses the role tradesmen and merchants played in meeting Istanbul’s demand for foodstuff, which despite the topic’s importance to Ottoman economic history, has been scarcely covered in other publications. This scientific study is based on a wealth of archival material and will be of use to those working on Ottoman urban history.
Feryal Tansuğ
Translated by Aysu Dinçer