Economy and Trade on the Island of Kos in the 17th and 18th Centuries

Abstract

Throughout history, the island of Kos has attracted attention with its geographical location and sheltered harbour. The island is located on the Egypt-Rhodes-Izmir sea route. It is also very close to Bodrum Port on the Anatolian coast. The heart of trade on the island is Narence Port. The port has become an important place of refuge for sailors navigating in the region. Under the administration of the Ottoman Empire, the island economy and all commercial activities in the port were managed and controlled by the organization called Gümrük-i İskele-i Narence ve Tevâbii Mukātaası. All taxes on the island, including the customs duty on products entering and leaving Narence Port, were collected by this institution (mukātaa). The budget figures of this mukātaa help us to be informed about the economic and commercial situation of the island of Kos. Therefore, in the first part of the research, the financial situation of the Kos mukātaa in the 17^th and 18^th centuries was reviewed. Due to the lack of land suitable for agriculture on the island, grain agriculture is not sufficiently developed. On the other hand, viticulture and horticulture were common on the island. In this research, some information is also given about the commercial function and importance of the island and Narence Port. The main sources of the research consist of records and documents in the Ottoman Archives. In addition, several Ottoman chronicles and the accounts of local and foreign travelers who happened to visit the island were also utilized.