Agricultural History Review, Volume 72 Part 1 (2024), pp. 26–44

Agricultural transformation within the Ottoman Empire has been a topic of enduring fascination among historians, resulting in a substantial body of scholarly work. The ‘çiftlik debate’, which once dominated Ottoman historiography and remains a pertinent subject in contemporary discussions, has given rise to a wealth of literature to understand Ottoman agricultural change. This literature explored the aspects of change in land ownership and regime, production relations, market-oriented character of the production in these çiftliks, vakıf çiftliks and power relations concerning their management, and the power relations of the çiftlik-holders with the central imperial elites. Nevertheless, there persists a need to bridge gaps in our comprehension of agricultural change by adopting fresh perspectives on the matter. In this article, we revisit the ‘çiftlik debate’ by shedding light on the role played by natural factors, particularly the significance of swamps and floods, in the genesis and spread of çiftliks by positioning sheep and sheep farming at the core of our investigation. This study contends that a comprehensive understanding of Ottoman agricultural transformation necessitates an examination of the intricate interplay between swamps and floods, the topographical features of Mihaliç, burgeoning demand for sheep, the tax farming system and the relations it creates, the indebtedness relations, and the policies and interests of the state.