The Murder in the Mancarcik Well: Mashers, Liberated Slaves and Prostitutes in Antalya in the 19th Century

In the 19th century, Antalya was among the medium-sized port cities of Asia Minor. Due to its geographical location, the agricultural production capacity of the city was limited. For this reason, except for periods of compulsory mass migration, the population of the city had not changed much during the 19th century. The most important exception to this situation was the voluntary Greek migration in the 1860s. Indeed, after the 1860s, Antalya had become a permanent residence for many Greeks who came from the Aegean islands for trading. The intense Greek immigration changed the population structure of the city and also triggered a social transformation process. The murder investigated in this article was committed in exactly in this transformation process. Therefore, when evaluating the murder, it is possible to establish a link between the reasons behind the murder and this large-scale transformation process. Apart from that, the murder in the Mancarcik Well also makes it possible to reconsider the workings of communities in everyday life of 19th century Antalya together with mashers, abandoned women by their husbands, and liberated slaves. Also, relatively detailed inquiry minutes give an idea of ordinary people’s mindset. In addition to these, as a result of the transformation process that was experienced by the Ottoman State in the 19th century, the changing functions and the increasing influence of the state in the province is examined in the article. Finally, it is also mentioned that the infra judicial accommodation and the social mediation have lost their old importance over time