Mobility of Resources in the Transottomanica: The Example of Metal and the Mamluk Empire

Albrecht Fuess

The research project will look at the distribution of resources within the geopolitical setting of the Transottomanica in the fifteenth and the beginning of the sixteenth century. The case of metal will be taken as an example as metals, on the one hand, were vital as raw material for the military of this time period and, on the other hand, as bullion were a means of payment that was important because gold and silver were scarce in the Middle East. Contemporary Middle and Central Asian powers therefore increased their efforts to obtain metals. They looked for resources within their own realms and they relied on imports, which, however, were hampered by occasional trade boycotts. Starting from the Mamluk Empire, the project will follow the path of metal resources through the Transottomanica and investigate the extent of their mobility as a commodity.