Т. 1. «Азия и Африка: Наследие и современность»

Asia and Africa: their Heritage and Modernity. Vol. 1 23 Источниковедение и историография  Ближнего Востока A report made forty years later by Giambattista Ramusio described the same fight in even more accurate terms, explicitly mentioning religious differences and territorial claims ( “discordia di confini” ) as the main reasons for the war 1 . The legitimacy of the importance given by Venetians to “the other Turks” is also confirmed in Ottoman sources. Firmān s sent by Süleyman the Magnificent to the bey of Kefe/Feodosija and to the military staff of the fortress of Azaq/Azov, demonstrate that the alliance with qıpçaq -descendant Nogay dynasty was not taken for granted and thus considered particularly important in view of the outbreak of hostilities against the Russians 2 . While propagating the orientalist invention of the Ottoman diversity westward, the Venetians bore in mind their own political interests in the Sultan’s interactions with his own diversified “Orients”. Through the interpretation of early-modern reports and descriptions of the Ponto- Caspian area, this paper will try to re-contextualize Venetian cultural position and political interests in a wider Eurasian framework. Amal M. Elsboki (Bаnha University, Egypt) Economic and Social Policy of Ibrahim Pasha in Syria The present research is dedicated to the measures made by the Egyptian authorities in the 19 th C. under Ibrahim Pasha to modernize economic life in Syria: a new fiscal systemwas created and some old taxes were abolished. All these measures promoted developing of local trade and crafts. At the same time, transit trade expanded: British fabrics were exported to Iran and India across the territory of Syria, and wool and other goods were annually transported to Marseille, Livorno and Trieste from Syria. In spite of rigid Egyptian regime, Syrian trade has increased ten times and custom revenues — four times. Agricultural reforms led to a considerable growth of arable and sown lands, as well as to revival of old and birth of new villages. It should be mentioned that later, after the restoration of the Ottoman power, most of cultivated land and villages were desolated. Among significant steps made by the orders of Muhammad Ali was the establishing of the banks in several Syrian towns, the fact that initiated loan issues for purchase of grain and tools. The practice of leasing land to Muslim and non- Muslim subjects has been widely spread. The Egyptian occupation authorities also provided significant funds for the development of local mining industry in Syria. It was IbrahimPashawho began searching for rawmaterials. The Egyptian authorities in Syriamonitored logging and timber export 1 G. B. Ramusio. Dichiarationed’alcuniluoghi ne libri di Marco Polo con l’Historia del Rheu barbaro // Id. (ed.). Secondo volume delle navigationi et viaggi . Venezia, 1583. 2 Başbakanlık Osmanlı Arşivi, Mühimme Defteri 3 , hüküm 83.