Dobrogea în epoca otomană: kazaua Hârșova (sec. XVI)
Dobrudja in Ottoman times. The Kaza of Hârşova (16th century)

Summary/Abstract: The Ottoman chancery documents, such as defters, orders, regulations, are a key source for studying Dobrudja under Ottoman rule, revealing its administrative, military and economic structures. This paper draws on toponymical, topographical and administrative information taken from eight Ottoman registers, all dating from the sixteenth century. The toponymy and the rural habitat are interpreted from a long-time perspective, assessing the continuity between the Ottoman and the pre-Ottoman structures. The Dobrudja case is also placed in the larger image of the dynamics of the Ottoman rural landscape. This article identifies both military and non-military Ottoman institutions in Dobrudja, such a vozar, derbendci, ellici, gümrükçi, müsellem, akıncı. Consequently, it proposes a comparative analysis between the Ottoman power structures and the previous, imperial, Byzantine ones. A chronological and cartographic inventory of the human settlements in Ottoman Dobrudja argues for a reconsideration of their synchronic and diachronic evolution.

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