Bridge Between Cultures

I first met Ali İhsan Bağış in Ankara, in the home of my friend the late Osman Akyar. Osman, bearer of an illustrious name in the history of modern Turkey, had made his mark as an economic historian, and held a Chair at Hacettepe University. Ali İhsan was a promising young lecturer in the same department. His work on Anglo-Turkish relations in the 18th century had kindled his interest in the economic history of the Ottoman Empire in modern times. He made an important contribution to this subject with his study of non-Muslim Ottoman merchants who acquired a diploma (berat) allowing them to benefit from the capitulations - the privileges granted to foreign envoys and residents in the Ottoman dominions.
Andrew Mango