THE EFFECTS OF THE ANDALUSIAN MUSLIMS' EXILE FROM SPAIN ON THE OTTOMAN GEOGRAPHY AND ECONOMY: NORTH AFRICAN EXAMPLE

Abstract

There are many studies on the exile of Spanish Jews from Spain and their settlement in Ottoman lands such as Istanbul, Selanik (Thessaloniki) and Izmir, and their effects on the broader Empire geography, however, there are limited number of studies regarding the social and economic consequences of the exile of Andalusian Muslims. The major waves of immigration that started after the surrender of Granada, the last Muslim city in the Iberian Peninsula, to the Spanish Kingdom in 1492, experienced the most severe period of immigration between 1609-1614 with the exile decision covering all remaining Muslims in the Peninsula in 1609. North African lands under the Ottoman rule were the primary regions where the exiled Muslims were settled. This exile had important consequences for both the Spaniards and the Ottomans. While the exile of Muslims is seen as one of the reasons for the economic decline of Spain to a certain extent, it is also considered as one of the main factors of the economic dynamism in North Africa. Andalusian Muslims, who carried various products and production styles to North Africa, contributed significantly to the development of the region. This article will discuss the contributions of Andalusian Muslims to the social and economic life in the regions where they settled and the results of those contributions.