Ottoman Information Networks in the East, 1736-1747
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M. N. ÖZEL M.ÖZEL N. AMBASSADORS, SPIES, CAPTIVES, MERCHANTS AND TRAVELERS: OTTOMAN INFORMATION NETWORKS IN THE EAST, 1736-1747 AMBASSADORS, SPIES, CAPTIVES, MERCHANTS AND TRAVELERS MERCHANTS AMBASSADORS,SPIES, CAPTIVES, M. NUREDDİN ÖZEL 2018 İSTANBUL ŞEHİR UNIVERSITY SEPTEMBER 2018 AMBASSADORS, SPIES, CAPTIVES, MERCHANTS AND TRAVELERS: OTTOMAN INFORMATION NETWORKS IN THE EAST, 1736-1747 A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES OF İSTANBUL ŞEHİR UNIVERSITY BY M. NUREDDİN ÖZEL IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS IN HISTORY SEPTEMBER 2018 ABSTRACT AMBASSADORS, SPIES, CAPTIVES, MERCHANTS AND TRAVELERS: OTTOMAN INFORMATION NETWORKS IN THE EAST, 1736-1747 Özel, M. Nureddin. MA, Department of History Thesis Advisor: Prof. Engin Deniz Akarlı September 2018, 332 pages This thesis sheds light on the Ottoman information networks in the East during the reign of Nadir Shah in Iran. It emphasizes singular cases of agencies who convey (and process) information, such as ambassadors, spies, captives, merchants, couriers, and travelers, but with due effort to depict the clear and implicit connections and links among them. The study is limited to the period when Nadir Shah reigned in Iran from 1736 to 1747, because the intensity of the developments and contacts in this interesting period provides an opportunity to investigate the sources and agents of information with due attention to detail. The study emphasizes Ottoman agents but it makes room for the voices, views and actions of Iranian and other actors as well. The thesis is based mainly on Ottoman sources but benefits from other sources as well. Its main focus is on Anatolia, Iraq, the Hedjaz, Iran, and India, and on individuals who were in contact with the Ottoman central and local officials. The research combines descriptive and analytical approaches. The descriptive side of the study aims to show how and when intelligence arrived in Istanbul. In the process, it introduces new or hitherto neglected Ottoman sources and agents as well. Münif’s ambassadorial report on Iran and Müteferrika’s Zeyl-i Tarih-i Seyyah are cases in point. Careful assessment of the available information helps correct some chronological and geographical mistakes in the current literature and draw attention to incoherent narratives in the primary sources. At the analytical level, this research iv points to the tensions and complexities of policy making. It points to friendly or hostile relations among certain Ottoman agents and how two political factions, led by Ahmed Paşa and Hacı Beşir Ağa, respectively, influenced the making of the Ottoman government’s Iran policy in the 1730s and 1740s. Keywords: Information networks, Ottoman-Iranian relations, Nadir Shah, Ahmed Paşa, Hacı Beşir Ağa, Münif Mustafa Efendi. v ÖZ ELÇİLER, CASUSLAR, ESİRLER, TACİRLER VE SEYYAHLAR: OSMANLI’NIN DOĞU’DAKİ İLETİŞİM AĞLARI, 1736-1747 Özel, M. Nureddin. MA, Tarih Bölümü Tez Danışmanı: Prof. Dr. Engin Deniz Akarlı Eylül 2018, 332 sayfa Bu tez Nadir Şah’ın İran’daki hakimiyeti esnasında Doğu’daki Osmanlı haber alma kaynaklarını ve iletişim ağlarını açıklamaktadır. Tez, elçiler, casuslar, esirler, tacirler, ulaklar ve seyyahlar gibi bilgi taşıyan, ileten aktörler düzeyinde tekil vakaları incelerken bunlar arasındaki somut ve muhtemel bağlantılar ile ilişkileri de göstermektedir. Çalışma, Nadir Şah’ın İran’ı yönettiği 1736’dan 1747’e kadar süren dönemle sınırlıdır. Bu dönemde olayların yoğunluğu ve karmaşıklığı bize iletişim ve haberleşme kaynaklarını ve sorunlarını dikkatle inceleme imkanı vermektedir. Tezde çoğunlukla Osmanlı kaynakları esas alınmakla birlikte başka dilde kaynaklardan da yararlanmaktadır. Coğrafi olarak Anadolu, Irak, Hicaz, İran ve Hindistan’ı kapsamakla birlikte Osmanlı merkezi ve yerel görevlilerle iletişime geçmiş kişilere yoğunlaşmaktadır. Araştırma, tasviri ve analitik iki tür yaklaşıma dayanmaktadır. Tasviri boyut, istihbaratın İstanbul’a nasıl ve ne zaman vardığını göstermeyi hedeflemektedir. Bunu yaparken, Münif Mustafa Efendi’nin İran Sefaretnamesi ile İbrahim Müteferrika’nın Zeyl-i Tarih-i Seyyah‘ı gibi yeni veya ihmal edilmiş bilgi kaynaklarını ve bilgi taşıyıcılarını tanıtmaktadır. Ayrıca, mevcut literatürdeki kronolojik ve coğrafi hatalar ile birincil kaynaklarda birbiriyle çelişen anlatımlara dikkat çekmektedir. Analitik düzeyde ise çalışma, politika belirleme sürecinin çetrefilliğini, karmaşıklığını göstermektedir. Bazı Osmanlı aktörleri arasındaki dostane ve hasmane ilişkilere işaret vi ederek Ahmed Paşa ve Hacı Beşir Ağa liderliğindeki iki siyasi hizbin Osmanlı Devleti’nin İran politikasını nasıl etkilediğini ileri sürmektedir. Anahtar Kelimeler: İletişim ağları, Osmanlı-İran ilişkileri, Nadir Şah, Ahmed Paşa, Hacı Beşir Ağa, Münif Mustafa Efendi. vii Cihan Hocam’a viii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS My travel to Iran and Pakistan in the summer of 2007 evoked the first sparkles of my interest in the region. However, I could not turn it into academic writing without the support of my two close friends from high school, Mustafa Tarık Ötgen and Bilal Petek. Their companionship during this study and in my new travels to Iran were only a part of the help and guidance they offered me. I am grateful to both of them. Role model in my life, Cihan Çarbaş, continuously supported my pursuit in academic studies. I dedicate this thesis to him. I would like to express sincere gratitude to my supervisor Engin Deniz Akarlı for his guidance, patience and encouragement in every step of this thesis and most importantly, for taking me under his wing while dealing with his many other academic and professional commitments. I am grateful too for the support of the members of the committee, Kahraman Şakul and Emrah Safa Gürkan. I would also like to thank the community of Istanbul Şehir University. Seminars of Mehmet Genç, Abdülhamit Kırmızı, Kahraman Şakul, Yunus Uğur, İsmail Kara, Coşkun Çakır, Günhan Börekçi, and Abdurrahman Atçıl enhanced my knowledge as well as enriched my perspectives. The support of and conversations with Zahit Atçıl, İsmail Erünsal, Kemal Beydilli, Suraiya Faroqhi, Ali Bektaş, Faruk Deniz, İhsan Fazlıoğlu, Saranur Yıldız, Kenan Yıldız, and Mustafa Birol Ülker were invaluable as well. I was fortunate to meet Turgay Şafak, Veysel Başçı, Hakkı Uygur, and Esra Doğan Turay when I was in Iran. They guided me in the field with their rich experience. During my undergraduate and graduate years, I became indebted to many dear elders, relatives, friends, and colleagues for their contributions to my vision in various ways. I am grateful to express my thanks to Yusuf Ziya Karabıçak, Şükrü Aslan, Yusuf Aslan, Serdar İbrahimcioğlu, İbrahim Palabıyık, Ali Çalışır, Sabahat Petek, Burak Akçeşme, Esra Karayel Muhacir, Yusuf Taha Göç, Sinan Çetin, and İbrahim Sert. I also would like to thank the officials the Ottoman Archives, Bilim ve Sanat Vakfı, İslam Araştırmaları Merkezi, Süleymaniye Library, Topkapı Palace Library, Beyazıt ix Library, İstanbul Nadir Eserler Kütüphanesi, and Konya Mevlana Kütüphanesi. I am grateful to İstanbul Gençlik ve Gelişim Derneği, Türkiye Milli Kültür Vakfı, Bilim ve Sanat Vakfı and İstanbul Şehir University for the scholarships they provided. Finally, I am indebted to my family, especially my mother. Words fail to express my gratitude for their love, patience and affection. x TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract ................................................................................................................... iv Öz ............................................................................................................................ vi Dedication ............................................................................................................. viii Acknowledgements ................................................................................................. ix Table of Contents ..................................................................................................... xi List of Tables .......................................................................................................... xiv List of Diagrams ................................................................................................... xviii List of Maps ........................................................................................................... xix List of Figures .......................................................................................................... xx Abbreviations......................................................................................................... xxi Notes on Dates and Transliteration ....................................................................... xxv CHAPTERS 1. Introduction ......................................................................................................... 1 1.1. Significance of Ottoman-Iran Relations during the Reign of Nadir Shah ..................... 4 1.2. Significance of Information Network and Agencies ................................................... 5 1.3. The Framework of the Study ..................................................................................... 6 1.4. An Overview of Ottoman-Iranian Relations in 1736-1747.......................................... 8 2. Review on Sources, Agents and Literature.......................................................... 21 2.1. Locating the Sources ................................................................................................21 2.2. Classifying the Agents