Ottoman Chrysochou – Evangelia Balta – Libra Yayınları

This volume presents the thirteen 19th-century fiscal censuses of the district of Hrisofi (Chrysochou) on the north-western side of Cyprus and joins the other two editions containing the censuses of the neighbouring kazas of Kouklia and Paphos released in 2015 and 2016 respectively. It covers the period from 1825 to 1848. The sources, although concerning taxation, trace the demographic and social status of the population in the mid-19th century, providing opportunities for further comparisons with sources of this type, both older and newer. Research fields can therefore be extended to other periods too, and can be directed at exploring issues that explain conversions to Islam, population movements, etc. The fiscal registers we examined reveal the picture that emerges from official administrative data of the Ottoman Empire, a picture that is no different from that described by Western travellers who visited the island, inspired by an interest in its glorious past in antiquity.