Artisan Entrepreneurs in Cairo and Early-Modern Capitalism (1600–1800)

Acknowledgments

ix Acknowledgments In the course of the past six years during which this book was in the making , I have accumulated debts to a number of colleagues and friends who in various ways have helped me in the process. Suraiya Faroqhi read the manuscript and not only gave me several important suggestions but also sent me a series of her publications. Jack Guiragossian also read the manuscript at several stages to give the impressions of a general reader with an interest in history. Peter Gran was very helpful at the level of theory and methodology. To all these readers, I am very grateful. To the historians with whom I spent hours in Dar al-Watha’iq and with whom I exchanged ideas and material from the court records—Nasir Ibrahim, Magdi Guirguis, Husam Abdul-Muti, and Soha Gouda—I express my thanks here. Two institutions have provided me with facilities. The American University in Cairo granted me a sabbatical year to do my research in Dar al-Watha’iq and course releases to finish writing the book. Dar al-Watha’iq and its director, Dr. Saber Arab, were essential to the research. I am very grateful to these institutions and their personnel as well as to Nadia Mustafa. Artisan Entrepreneurs in Cairo and Early-Modern Capitalism (1600–1800) ...