The Silk Industry of Late Medieval Kastoria: Orthodox Christian Craftswomen, Romaniote Jews, and Cuman/Kipchak Tribes, lecture by Nuray Ocaklı (Sabahattin Zaim University), ANAMED Auditorium, Koç University, and Zoom, December 18, 2023, 6:00 pm (Istanbul)

Kastoria had already been a center of manufacturing and trade in Western Macedonia when the city became a part of the Ottoman Empire in 1380s. As a rule, the Ottoman central authorities would carry out a very detailed cadastral survey for a new land to start military and socio-economic transition immediately after a conquest but this was not the case for Kastoria. Due to the long period of war with Bulgaria (1388-1396) and the interregnum period after the Timurid invasion of Anatolia (1402-1421), the cadastral survey of Kastoria was not carried out until the first reign of Sultan Murad II (1421-1444) and the transition process was delayed until the second reign of Sultan Mehmed II (1451-1481). The first Ottoman register of Kastoria transmits a picture of socio-economic, religious and military structure of Kastoria in the late Byzantine era and the silk industry with the contributions of Orthodox Christian craftswomen, Romaniote Jews and Cuman/Kipchak tribes in the region is a significant part of this interesting picture.

Advance registration required for Zoom participation.