New Reference Guide Helps Scholars Read Armenian Names in Ottoman Records
Publication of Philliou and Kolovos’ “Naming Non-Muslims”
Asini Publications has released "Naming Non-Muslims: A Guide to Reading Greek, Armenian, and Jewish Male Names in Ottoman Sources," a reference work by Christine Philliou and Elias Kolovos aimed at researchers studying Ottoman-era non-Muslim communities.
The book addresses a persistent scholarly problem: the widespread misidentification of Armenian, Greek, and Jewish names in Ottoman Turkish documents, which used Arabic script ill-suited for non-Arabic names. By providing accurate transliterations and context for thousands of names from an 1821 Istanbul population register, the authors argue that precise name identification is essential for understanding individuals rather than reducing them to anonymous community members.
The register surveyed Armenian, Greek, and Jewish residents in Ottoman Istanbul's bazaars and surrounding neighborhoods, offering researchers both a practical identification tool and insights into migration, cultural interaction, and daily life in 19th-century Ottoman cities.
