Analysis of Exports from Izmir in the Ottoman Period (1774-1776)

Abstract

This study aims to create a sample for the years 1774-1776, based on six archive books (customs books) regarding the Ottoman Empire’s exports from Izmir. The main question of the study can be expressed as “what were the structural features of the Ottoman exports from İzmir Fruit Customs in the mentioned years?” For this purpose, the ports to which 244 exporting ships carried goods from İzmir Fruit Customs in the said years; the flags of these exporting ships and 2,563 pieces of export goods belonging to 1,487 merchants were examined numerically and in terms of tax figures. The results of the research show that the Ottoman exports were mainly directed to France, England and Dutch ports; French, Venetian, English and Dutch-flagged ships were used in these exports; the export goods consisted of raw cotton, yarn, raw materials and chemical goods. These results partially verify the findings of some previous studies using similar sources. However, it should be taken into account that the results obtained are a kind of sample and that long-term series should be examined in order to make generalizations.