The Ali Pasha Archive

The point of departure of MapOE is the Ali Pasha Archive. This is a published collection of documents, housed in the Gennadius Library Archives in Athens, composed of correspondence with various functionaries and communities in Ali Pasha's area of control or in various centers of imperial authority, as well as number of debt and credit contracts and agreements between Ali Pasha's scribal bureau and individuals and communities.

Though partial and not necessarily systematic, this particular collection is composed of almost 1,500 documents written in a linguistic medley based on Greek, but that also employing Greek script for formulaic Ottoman-Turkish, Persian and Arabic phrases and long honorific salutations, alongside with languages spoken in Epirus, namely, Albanian, Vlach, French and Italian words.

Ali Pasha until his death in 1822 had created a large network of correspondence through the ottoman provinces until the ottoman centre in Istanbul. The Greek Archive of Ali Pasha of the Gennadius Library consists of almost 1500 documents derived from the secretary of AP at the centre of his power at Ioannina. The archive has been transliterated and published by the Institute of Neohellenic Studies of the National Institution of Research and houses the correspondence of Ali Pasha with different communities, with his associates and also with ottoman officials. The content of the documents is usually related to fiscal, financial and military topics.

What makes this collection truly remarkable is its ability to provide a unique window into the bureaucratic, military, and fiscal order of a regional magnate, Ali Pasha, from the perspective of his own center of power, rather than solely relying on records from Istanbul. This collection offers valuable insights into the intricate means of communication between the Ottoman subject populations and their overlords at various levels of the administrative and fiscal hierarchy. Moreover, the majority of the collection is in Greek, which highlights the significance of this language as the primary mode of communication among the grassroots populations, while simultaneously sidelining Ottoman Turkish. By delving into this collection, we gain a deeper understanding of the historical dynamics and cultural nuances of the region.

Methodology

1. Examination

The examination of each document is being operated through the transliteration of each document which is published on each volume, but also by examining the information provided by the editors of the volumes in a small summary right before each transliteration.

2. Categorization

The research aims at the categorization of each document in a spreadsheet. So far the categories of the database are forty eight:

| ID | Pages | Dimension | Reference | Related to | Type | Classified as in AAP | Start Date | End Date | Date | Day | Month | Year | Date Qualifier | Author/Signatory | Relationship of Author/Signatory to AP (Ali Pasa) at the Time | Recipient | Place From Extracted Clean | Match Extracted Place | Place Qualifier | Place From | Match Extracted Place | Place To | Match Extracted Place | Places Connected to Document according to Index (does not include Ioannina and Istanbul) | Main Person/Collectivity Concerned | Main Person Office/Function/Role at the Time | Main Person/Collectivity relationship to AP | Place Concerned | Place Relationship to AP at the Time | Language | Topics | Zone | Request | Nature of Complaint | Complaint Against | Attitude Towards AP | Provision of Information | AP's Attitude | Transaction | Amount | Interest%, Annual | Exchange | Offer | Military/Security Operations | Concepts | Summary | Comments |

3. Synchronization and Elaboration

The categorization is synchronized with the database of ottoman documents concerning Ali Pasha and also the place names are synchronized with the place names of the Gazetteer.

4. Data visualization

The data table will be analyzed by Tableau software. The key points of the data (especially the people and topics) will be explored. Plus, deeper questions will be developed and answered with further analysis.

5. Mapping

The spatial data in the table will analyzed by Tableau and ArcGIS software. Relevant maps are created in order to understand the geographical basis of the analytical relations.

6. Interpretation

First, textual interpretation of graphs, charts and maps will be provided.

7. Comparison

The information gathered from the database will be compared to the findings from the database of Ali Pasha that is based on Ottoman documents.