Farming according to the Grand Defter of Gurjistan Vilayet of 1595

Abstract

This article describes the economic situation, particularly the tradition of Georgian farming culture, in southwestern part of Georgia, concurred by the Ottoman Empire in the 16th century and called Gurjistan Vilayet by the Ottomans. Gurjistan Vilayet covered a significant area of southwestern Georgia, with only a tiny part being a part of Georgia and the remained territory being a part of the Republic of Turkey, the legal successor of the Ottoman Empire. The study is mainly based on the Grand Defter of Gurjistan Vilayet. In the study's course, the geographical objects (villages, sites of ancient villages, sowing areas, etc.) given by the Defter were identified, systematized, and classified and a GIS database and relevant maps were developed. The objects plotted on the map were identified by comparing with other sources used to identify the types and amounts of taxes set by the Ottoman for the population, group them thematically, and draw a picture of the region's economic potential. It was found that the Georgian economic tradition was solid and sustainably profitable, but the Ottoman ideological press had a particular effect on it.