According to Manisa Shar'iyya Records socio-economic life in the first half of the XVII. century

Manisa, which has a deep-rooted historical past, also had an important place during the Ottoman Empire both with its geographical location and with the property of being the sanjak of the prince. Manisa, one of the cities where the princes were sent to gain experience, has become one of the cities with a constantly developing socio-economic structure, due to factors such as its proximity to Izmir and its location on the trade routes leading to its port. With the abandonment of the custom of the princes ascending to the sanjak in the 17th century, the city lost its characteristic of being a prince's city and people started to migrate to cities with ports in Izmir and other regions. It is obvious that Manisa has not only been affected by the fact that it has lost its status as a city of princes, but also by the social and economic events happening throughout the state. With the study conducted, the physical, administrative, economic and social structure of Manisa between 1600 and 1650 was deciphered with the data in the shar'iyya records. Shar'yyia records not only reveal the social, political and economic structure of the period in which they were recorded, but also reflect the judicial mechanism and understanding of justice of the Ottoman Empire. With these features, shar'iyya records shed light on both law and urban history studies. Studies on urban history have gained great importance in recent years. According to the shar'iyya records, the socio-economic life in the chronological period determined by the study conducted specifically for Manisa was examined under the headings of administrative-physical, economic and social structure of the city. A general evaluation was made in order to create a perspective on the social and economic life of the city in the first half of the 17th century.