Sixteenth-Century Subsistence Strategies in the Tigris-Euphrates Basin: Case Studies from Diyarbakır and Erbil

• In Event: Placing the Tigris and Euphrates in Global Environmental History

Abstract

This presentation studies subsistence strategies in the Tigris-Euphrates basin during the sixteenth century through two micro case studies: the Ottoman provinces of Diyarbakır (in southeastern Turkey) and Erbil (in northern Iraq). To understand subsistence in these two localities, the presentation will use the Ottoman cadastral surveys (tapu tahrir defterleri) of Diyarbakır and Erbil that were completed around the years 1568 and 1542, respectively. After presenting the data contained in these surveys, the presentation will compare subsistence strategies in Diyarbakır and Erbil with those pursued in the lower river basin. While sharing the same river system, sixteenth-century farmers in each locality—my presentation argues—pursued different subsistence strategies based on their local geographical setting. Each region developed its own agricultural mix, emphasizing certain crops and animals over others with the same goal in mind—making the best use of one’s limited land and water resources.

Author

• Faisal Husain, Penn State University