Την Δευτέρα 7 Απριλίου, ώρα 17:00,  στην αίθουσα εκδηλώσεων του Ιστορικού Αρχείου της Εθνικής Τράπεζας (οδός Γ΄ Σεπτεμβρίου 146, 3ος όροφος, 112 51 Αθήνα), η Ελληνική Εταιρεία Οικονομικής Ιστορίας διοργανώνει διάλεξη στα αγγλικά του Δρ. Abdulmennan M. Altıntaş, (Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Ινστιτούτο Μεσογειακών Σπουδών/ΙΤΕ, πρόγραμμα ERCSG STASH) με τίτλο «Between Commerce and Sanctity: Formation of Ottoman Trade Policy in the Red Sea».

Σχολιασμός: Alexis Wick, (Associate Professor of history at Koç University, Istanbul)

Μπορείτε να παρακολουθήσετε την διάλεξη και μέσω συνδέσμου zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86080149005?pwd=yGXM41X6LkEEabsgdfpo3fX81vqVg8.1

Abstract: The first half of the 16th century marked significant territorial expansion for the Ottoman Empire. Following the campaign against the Mamluk Sultanate in 1516, Sultan Selim I successfully captured the Arab territories surrounding the Eastern Mediterranean. After these conquests, the Ottomans continued to progress southward along both the eastern and western shores of the Red Sea, ultimately reaching Aden on Arabia’s southern coast by 1536. Consequently, the entire littoral bordering the Red Sea came under Ottoman control. This acquisition not only provided the Ottomans with substantial political leverage over one of the busiest ancient east-west trade routes but also generated significant commercial revenue.

This period also coincided with the rise of mercantilism, driven by the Western European nations. The arrival of European joint-stock companies seeking new markets in the Indian Ocean via the Cape of Good Hope to Mocha in the early 17th century forced the Ottoman court to reassess its trade policies. How, then, did the Ottoman court establish a trade regime in the Red Sea while considering its economic mindset and the rise of mercantilism? In the early days when the Ottoman Empire came into contact with the Red Sea, the Red Sea-Asia trade was mainly under the control of Egyptian and Gujarat merchants. Although the Ottomans did not implement radical changes to the existing trade regime, they gradually reshaped their trade policies in response to the economic and political priorities of the central administration and evolving international relations. Two key issues guided the decisions made by the Ottoman court regarding Red Sea trade. First, there was a focus on ensuring the provision of the domestic market, particularly in Istanbul and the Hejaz, through Red Sea routes. Second, they aimed to keep European Christian nations away from the Red Sea to protect the holy cities of Mecca and Medina.

This presentation will explore the formation of Ottoman trade policy in the Red Sea, shedding light on how the empire balanced its economic priorities, domestic needs, and strategic imperatives in the face of rising European mercantilism and the evolving dynamics of international trade.