Temettuat Defteri #16153 (ML.VRD.TMT. # 16153)
The study of the towns of Larnaca and Scala during the Ottoman period would form part of a wider research project, having as its object of study the urban network of the towns of Cyprus from the 16th to the 19th century. The main reason for the choice of Larnaca is the fact that, especially during the latter part of the Ottoman period, this town was the most important port and commercial centre of the island, as well as the seat of the Consulates and the residence of the wealthiest European merchants.
Among the topics that this research project proposes to study would be the economic, social, architectural and demographic development of the town in the three centuries of Ottoman rule, its position in the urban network of Cyprus, as well as its intellectual life and education. In order to investigate the history of Larnaca during this period, Ottoman, Greek, as well as European archival sources will be used, to be found in state, ecclesiastical and consular archives, located in Cyprus and abroad, in countries like Turkey, Bulgaria and Italy. This will be done in conjunction with an exhaustive study of the existing bibliography and published sources.
Τhe end-product of this research project would be the publication of a collective volume of original studies on the history of Larnaca during this period, as well as the preparation of a model source database. This project will operate in collaboration with the National Hellenic Research Foundation of Greece.
It is expected that this research project will constitute a major contribution to the study of the history of Cyprus in the Ottoman period, since it will be based on previously unknown and unpublished archival material, and it will fill a major gap in the historiography of island, which is lacking in scholarly studies and monographs on its urban history during the Ottoman period.
