Urban Economy and Provisionalization in the Ottoman State
Main topic of this article is to evaluate academic researches -in the Turkish and English literature- on provisioning of Ottoman towns and cities, which was very important in both aspects of consumption and production. It includes presentation of studies concerned with provisioning of Ottoman towns and cities, especially capital city of Istanbul, and the military forces in cities and on the move. A number of studies on Ottoman economic and social life are interested in provisioning cities, especially Istanbul. In these researches, it has been observed that the Ottoman Empire has a complex policy of provision which reserved for towns and cities. The economic and political developments in the Ottoman Empire after the seventeenth century led to increase the state involvement and control on provisioning mechanism. The fundamental concern of Ottoman Administration was to ensure an uninterrupted flow of foodstuffs as wheat and meat because of shortages of staples among the masses that caused serious problems for the government.
AHMET UZUN
