Nelly Hanna’s work challenges the standard perceptions about Middle East society and economy of the seventeenth century. Novel in both its approach and its information, this book’s central theme revolves around the rise of an indigenous form of capitalism existing as early as the 1600s. Making Big Money in 1600 examines the reemergence of the economic sector and its complex influences on social conditions during this time. By examining the life and work of Isma‘il Abu Taqiyya, Hanna traces the relationship between economic activities and culture. As we are introduced to Abu Taqiyya we learn how he negotiates partnership with other merchants, arranges for the handling of goods, and negotiates loans for colleagues. Hanna reveals his home life, his wives, children, and concubines, his relations with his family and friends, and how these relations evolved and were affected by the changing social and economic conditions—a perspective rarely discussed in works before the modern period.
Making Big Money in 1600
The Life and Times of Ismail Abu Taqiyya, Egyptian Merchant
Nelly Hanna’s work challenges the standard perceptions about Middle East society and economy of the seventeenth century. Novel in both its approach
18.95
Nelly Hanna is professor of Arabic studies at the American University in Cairo. She is the author or editor of a number of books and articles including In Praise of Books: A Cultural History of Cairo’s Middle Class, Sixteenth to the Eighteenth Century (AUC Press, 2004).
