The role of non-Muslim communities in the Ottoman Empire has been a topic of debate among scholars who approached the issue from various perspectives at different times. One thread in this debate focused on these communities’ role in Ottoman trade with Europe and emphasized their relations with western capital in explanation of their prominence in the Ottoman economy. This article attempts to explain the vitality of non-Muslim merchants through the centuries in the face of Western economic penetration of the Ottoman Empire, by focusing on transaction costs and market imperfections in North-western Anatolia. The article focuses on the trade in mohair yarn and cotton, which were the most important commodities exported to the Netherlands from the Ottoman Empire. Relying on data obtained from Dutch archives on cotton and mohair yarn consignments from Ankara and Izmir to Amsterdam, the article emphasises the diversity and complexity of the various transactions and expenses required to deliver these consignments to Amsterdam. It suggests that the local merchants were able to take advantage of the market imperfections and high transaction costs in North Western Anatolia while interacting with European merchants in the region.

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解读 18 世纪非穆斯林奥斯曼商人的活力：如何应对交易成本

非穆斯林社区在奥斯曼帝国中的作用一直是学者们争论的话题，他们从不同的角度在不同的时间处理这个问题。这场辩论的一个主题是这些社区在奥斯曼帝国与欧洲的贸易中的作用，并强调了它们与西方资本的关系，以解释它们在奥斯曼帝国经济中的突出地位。本文试图通过关注安纳托利亚西北部的交易成本和市场不完善，来解释几个世纪以来，面对奥斯曼帝国西方经济渗透，非穆斯林商人的活力。本文重点介绍马海毛纱线和棉花的贸易，它们是奥斯曼帝国出口到荷兰的最重要的商品。根据从荷兰档案中获得的关于从安卡拉和伊兹密尔到阿姆斯特丹的棉花和马海毛纱线货物的数据，文章强调了将这些货物运送到阿姆斯特丹所需的各种交易和费用的多样性和复杂性。这表明当地商人能够利用安纳托利亚西北部的市场不完善和高交易成本，同时与该地区的欧洲商人互动。