Economic Life in Ottoman Jerusalem (Cambridge Studies in Islamic Civilization)
Edition: New Ed edition
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Published: August 22, 2002
Language: eng
Format: Paperback
Number of pages: 187
ISBN-13: 9780521524353
Subjects: Asian / Middle Eastern history: c 1500 to c 1900; Economic history; Economics; Social history; Middle East - General; History; History - General History; History: World; Israel; Middle East; History / Middle East
First sentence: The office of hisba, although not mentioned in the Koran or in any of the other canonical texts of Islam, is one of the oldest institutions of the Islamic state.
Description: Jerusalem was never just another Ottoman town, but in the heyday of the Ottoman Empire it displayed many of the characteristics of a Muslim traditional society. Professor Cohen makes full use of the rich and hitherto unexplored Arabic and Turkish archives relating to this period to reconstruct a vivid and detailed picture of everyday life in this lively urban centre. His study focuses on the major guilds of sixteenth-century Jerusalem - butchers, soap-producers and dealers, millers and bakers, describing and analysing their production methods, prices and measures, and the services they provided for the local population. In addition, their economic ties with neighbouring villages, as well as their social background and inter-relations are discussed. The author shows how this detailed knowledge can lead to a better understanding of the longer-term changes in the economy of the city and of the Empire as a whole.