Bakers and Activities in Cyprus in the Ottoman Administration

Abstract

After the Ottoman State conquered Cyprus, people from different trades were sent to the island according to the needs of the island from various regions of Anatolia. As learned from the Nicosia judicial record (Şer-i Sicil), nearly 100 trades groups were operating in island during the Ottoman administration. When these craft branches examined, it can be seen that the non-Muslims and the Muslims worked together in all. One of active trade group was bakeries in Cyprus. The ups and downs in wheat production, which is the raw material of bread, directly affected the prices of bread. As it is today, bread has an important place in Ottoman society. Due to being basic consumer goods in Ottoman territory, the bakers were held under strict control. From the narh in Nicosia judicial record, lots of information taken like the kind of bread they produce, the names of the bakeries, the names and salaries of employees in the bakeries, and the bread and the other products prices that the bakers produce and sell. In this study, the data obtained from the way of the Nicosia Judical Records were also supported with other domestic and foreign sources. As a result, in this study the effects of the socio-economic history of the bakeries, which are the part of the Cypriot community, have been examined.