Travel and Artisans in the Ottoman Empire

Download or read book Travel and Artisans in the Ottoman Empire written by Suraiya Faroqhi and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2014-01-30 with total page 453 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: It has often been assumed that the subjects of the Ottoman sultans were unable to travel beyond their localities - since peasants needed the permission of their local administrators before they could legitimately leave their villages. However Suraiya Faroqhi's extensive archival research shows that this was not the case. Pious men from all walks of life went on pilgrimage to Mecca, slaves fled from their masters and craftspeople travelled in search of work. Faroqhi shows that even those craftsmen who did not travel extensively had some level of mobility. Challenging existing historiography and providing an important new perspective, this book will be essential reading for students and scholars of Ottoman history.