SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC SITUATION OF DEMİRCİ TOWN IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY

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This study analyzes the geographical, administrative, demographic, social and economic structure of Demirci town connected to Saruhan Sanjac in the nineteenth century. The main sources utilized in this study are Temettuat registers, Aydın provincial almanacs, Demirci court registers, Ottoman Archival documents and other secondary sources. In 1845, the town had 127 villages and 15 quarters. Back at the time, 6.355 people were living in it, and by 1908 the number of local residents was 7412. There were also 146 non-Muslims in the town in 1900. The cereals and madder root were the primary agricultural products of the town, and there were lots of vineyards around it. The lands allocated for the agriculture of cereals were much larger than the lands for vineyards and madder root. Bonito and madder root were the main sources of income for the residents. Stockbreeding was a common practice, and sheep and goat breeding was preferred to cattle breeding. By 1845, 37% of the residents were engaged in agriculture, and 15% were employed in the service sector. While 35% of the population was artisans, 11% comprised of orphans, old, sick and disabled people. Social and economic structure of the town is analyzed in more detail within the scope of the information acquired from temettuat registers under the following headings

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Demirci , Magnesia , Temettuat , Ottoman , Town , City

Celal Bayar University Journal Of Social Sciences

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Celal Bayar University Journal Of Social Sciences