University of Arkansas, Fayetteville ScholarWorks@UARK Theses and Dissertations 12-2017 A Portrayal of an Ottoman City and Its Inhabitants: Administration, Society, and Economy in Ottoman Antakya (Antioch), 1750-1840 Ali Capar University of Arkansas, Fayetteville Follow this and additional works at: http://scholarworks.uark.edu/etd Part of the Islamic World and Near East History Commons, Near and Middle Eastern Studies Commons, and the Political History Commons Recommended Citation Capar, Ali, "A Portrayal of an Ottoman City and Its Inhabitants: Administration, Society, and Economy in Ottoman Antakya (Antioch), 1750-1840" (2017). Theses and Dissertations. 2535. http://scholarworks.uark.edu/etd/2535 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by ScholarWorks@UARK. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks@UARK. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. A Portrayal of an Ottoman City and Its Inhabitants: Administration, Society, and Economy in Ottoman Antakya (Antioch), 1750-1840 A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in History by Ali Capar Gaziantep University Bachelor of Arts in History, 2008 University of Arkansas Master of Arts in History, 2013 December 2017 University of Arkansas This dissertation is approved for recommendation to the Graduate Council. ____________________________________________ Nikolay Antov, Ph.D. Dissertation Director ____________________________________________ Joel Gordon, Ph.D. Committee Member ____________________________________________ Laurence Hare, Ph.D. Committee Member ABSTRACT This dissertation examines the main features of the social and economic life of the district of Antakya between 1750 and 1840 to essentially understand the characteristics of the daily life of society, administration, political developments, and economic activities in this particular city. While elucidating the city administration, demography, neighborhood life, trade, marketplace, guilds, religious minorities, women, children, and the politics of notables in the district of Antakya between 1750 and 1840; my observations revealed the main aspects of social, economic, and politic life of the city of Antakya- one of the most important religious, political, and commercial centers in the classical world under the Ottoman Empire. Even though this study conveys some of the complexities and patterns of local society, the conceptional framework and methodology it proposes, the sources it uses, and the questions it addresses are relevant to the history of other communities in the Levant and Southeast Anatolia as well as other mid-sized towns in the Ottoman Empire, which shared much in common with Antakya. @2017 Ali Capar All Rights Reserved ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am indebted to many people for the completion of this dissertation. This dissertation would not be possible without the help and support of the University of Arkansas and the professors who enabled my growth as a scholar. I would especially like to thank my adviser Dr. Nikolay Antov for his continuous support, encouragement and guidance during this project. His comments and remarks on the initial texts were crucial for structuring the final text. Without his encouragement, guidance and continuous help I would have never been able to complete my dissertation. I am also truly indebted to the honorable members of the examining committee, namely Prof. Joel Gordon and Dr. Laurence Hare for evaluating and criticizing my dissertation thoroughly. Without their suggestions, this dissertation would have been of much lesser readability. I would like to thank the Ministry of National Education of Turkey for the scholarship that covered all my personal expenses, tuitions, and research expenses through my master and Ph.D. education. I also feel need to thank the Kind Fahd Middle East Studies Center at the University of Arkansas for their financial support during my field research in Turkey. I would like to offer my special thanks to the staff at the Prime Ministerial Ottoman Achieves, the National Library in Ankara, Mustafa Kemal Üniversitesi Library, and Cemil Meriç Public Library in Antakya. I also feel the need to thank to the Interlibrary Loan departments at the University of Arkansas, which did a tremendous job in tracking down my difficult-to-find source materials written in various languages. Last but not least, I have to express my gratitude to my family and girlfriend for their encouragement, backing and, most importantly, their tolerance of my capriciousness during the preparation of this dissertation. TABLE OF CONTENT INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................... 1 CHAPTER I: A BRIEF HISTORY OF ANTAKYA ................................................................... 17 Antakya: From the Establishment of the City to the Ottoman Occupation .............................. 17 Ottoman Period, 1516-1832 ...................................................................................................... 28 Antakya under Egyptian Rule: 1832-1840 ................................................................................ 37 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................. 48 CHAPTER II: THE OTTOMAN ADMINISTRATION SYSTEM AND DEMOGRAPGHY OF THE CITY .................................................................................................................................... 50 Administrative Structure of Antakya and Administrators of the District ................................. 55 Ehl-i Örf ................................................................................................................................. 58 Ehl-i Şer’ and Court Officials ................................................................................................ 71 Composition of the City and Demography ............................................................................... 85 Antakya’s Rural Hinterland ................................................................................................... 92 Demography of the City ........................................................................................................ 94 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................... 100 CHAPTER III: ECONOMY IN ANTAKYA: TRADE, ARTISANS, AND TAXATION ........ 102 Trade in Antakya ..................................................................................................................... 107 Historical Development of Guild Organizations in the Ottoman Empire: Ahi-Order Organization, the Lonca System, and the Gedik System ........................................................ 119 Guilds in Antakya between 1750 and 1840 ............................................................................ 124 Taxation ................................................................................................................................... 141 Avariz and Nuzül ................................................................................................................. 143 Öşür (Tithe) ......................................................................................................................... 147 İmdad-ı Seferiyye and İmdad-ı Hazariyye .......................................................................... 151 Jizya (Poll Tax) .................................................................................................................... 154 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................... 158 CHAPTER IV: MINORITIES IN ANTAKYA .......................................................................... 162 Non-Muslims in the Ottoman Empire and the Millet System ................................................. 162 Greek Orthodox ....................................................................................................................... 173 The Patriarchate of Antioch and its Impact on Social, Economic, and Politic life of the Greek Orthodox of Antakya ................................................................................................ 175 Social and economic life of the Greek Orthodox in Antakya and its sub-Districts ............. 185 The Issue of Church Construction and Religious Life ........................................................ 195 Dwellers of the Musa Dagh: Armenians ................................................................................. 206 Religious Representation of Armenians in Antakya ........................................................... 217 Armenians in Court in Antakya: Conversion, Trade, and Orphans ..................................... 218 The non-Sunni Muslim Community of Antakya: Alawites and their Social, Economic, and Religious life in Ottoman Antakya.......................................................................................... 223 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................... 238 CHAPTER V: WOMEN IN ANTAKYA UNDER OTTOMAN RULE.................................... 242 Marriage .................................................................................................................................