356 chapter 8
janissaries, and thus further weaken the treasury. Moreover, with such a large
population it is difficult to discern the good from the bad, which leads to the
appointment of indecent people to various ranks and posts.
Canikli’s attack on Istanbul, or rather his view of the relationship of the cap-
ital with the provinces as unbalanced, is extraordinary; perhaps his provincial
origins, as in the case of the defense of the timariot system, should be taken
into account. He proceeds by remarking that Istanbul is said to have 80,000
quarters, each having 100 to 500 houses; if each household was to give one
kuruş for the needs of the army in times of campaign the treasury would be
filled. Canikli seems persuaded that the inhabitants of the capital would not
feel burdened by such a measure since they are all well-to-do: the magnates
have practically given an appointment to everybody, as every one of them has
assumed the role of protector of a quarter, and thus they do nothing but build
nice houses and pass their time in coffeehouses. “I say that Istanbul is the place
of the rich”, he concludes. But if the sultan takes care of the provinces, the trea-
sury will prosper and Istanbul will be less crowded. As for provincial taxation,
Canikli suggests that offices such as the voyvoda or the tax-farmer should not
be given to unknown persons but to individuals who have profound knowl-
edge of a province and of its peasants; if this is not the case, there are various
ways for such officers to fall prey to infidel usurers (Ö159–160). It is tempting
here to think that, when Canikli advocates tax-farming to people who know
the land, he clearly has the ayan like himself in mind.
As for Penah Efendi’s view of taxation and the economy, it deserves spe-
cial attention as it contains highly original suggestions for issues such as town
planning, which are generally absent in earlier Ottoman texts. Of course, he
also speaks against excessive taxation and more particularly tax-farming, es-
pecially malikânes and the case of poll-tax and extraordinary levies, which
he thinks should be administered by the central government (B317–387). Like
Canikli, he also views the internal migration of peasants to an overpopulated
Istanbul as a problem. The answer he proposes is two-fold. First, the borders
of the quarters of greater Istanbul must be defined carefully and the building
of houses outside them strictly controlled and, secondly, whenever a quarter
is burnt new houses should be built under rules ensuring large gardens and
therefore low density (B230). Penah Efendi states that immigration will there-
by decrease and the underpopulated provinces will flourish again. To achieve
this aim he has further advice: new towns should be founded with the prom-
ise of tax immunities (or, small towns should be upgraded administratively);
such towns would, in turn, prosper and increase the state revenues with their
manufacturing production (B231). More specifically, he proposes the founding
of such new towns near Edirne, in Lepanto, and in Missolonghi. Furthermore,