Discussing the Concept of “Islamic City” Through the Avariz and Cizye Registers of Aleppo in the Seventeenth Century

This paper discusses the concept of “Islamic city” through the example of the city of Aleppo in the seventeenth century by focusing on Avarız and Cizye registers. Avarız and Cizye registers were an important source concerning social life in the seventeenth century due to changing political and economic situation of the Empire. These registers provided valuable information not only on the amount of tax collected, but also on the social structure of the cities via the information noted near the names of the nefers of each hane enabling the researchers to come up with conclusions about the social and economic structure of the cities at the mahalle level. Being aware of Max Weber’s important place in the discussions on the “Islamic city” due to his conclusion about the Islamic urban society being a chaotic association consisting of a mess of various sects and tribes, this paper will talk about various important organizations at the city centres of the East including mahalles, guilds, fraternities and religious groups. What differentiates this study from other studies on the Islamic city is that it focuses on a specific time period by using specific registers that were reflecting the social and political structure of the Empire. Focusing on a multi-ethnic multireligious city like Aleppo also provides information about the relation between various ethnic and religious groups.