Wealth Accumulation and Investment Methods of Sarrafs (Moneychangers) in 18th-Century Istanbul
Wealth Accumulation and Entrepreneurship in the Ottoman Empire, 18th to 20th Centuries, Taylor & Francis Ltd, ss.63-75, 2024
- Yayın Türü: Kitapta Bölüm / Araştırma Kitabı
- Basım Tarihi: 2024
- Doi Numarası: 10.4324/9781003500780-6
- Yayınevi: Taylor & Francis Ltd
- Sayfa Sayıları: ss.63-75
- Ankara Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
The chapter focuses on the sarrafs, one of the capitalist entrepreneurs in the Ottoman world, and discusses their method of wealth acquisition and investment. The aim is to understand how sarrafs became rich and what investment instruments they used to maintain their wealth. The focus is on the 18th century, a period of growth that offered significant economic opportunities for Ottoman sarrafs. It is not possible here to discuss in detail the full range of methods of wealth acquisition and investment for all the sarrafs active during the relevant period. The focus of the study is therefore on the sarrafs of I˙stanbul, who occupied an important place within the larger group. Four high-ranking sarrafs who were executed at different times, whose property was confiscated, and who collaborated with state institutions and ruling elites were chosen as examples. They are Yakub, sarraf of the chief harem eunuch, Bedros, sarraf of the imperial mint, Dimitri of Chios, and Artin, an Egyptian-Armenian sarraf. Although studies of these sarrafs exist in the literature, their methods of wealth acquisition and investment have not been compared. The chapter examines their manner of wealth acquisition and investment methods, comparing them for their similarities or differences.