The Ottoman attars and herbal medicine in 16th century Balkan towns

Katić, Tatjana (2016) The Ottoman attars and herbal medicine in 16th century Balkan towns. In: Plants and Herbs in Traditional Serbian Culture. Serbian Folklorist Association; University Library “Svetozar Marković”, Belgrade, pp. 141-149. ISBN 978-86-7301-080-9

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Abstract

The attars, owners of specialised shops selling spices, herbs and other medicinal and cosmetic products, settled in Balkan towns in the second half of 15th and early 16th century. They brought with them the tradition of Anatolian phytomedicine and medicinal substances which were at the time widely unknown. Through attar shops, simple and compound remedies, prepared on the spot by the attars, became commonly available to townspeople and inhabitants of neighbouring villages. Information about the presence of attars in certain towns has been partly preserved.in Ottoman census books (defters). Our paper, based on these and other available sources, aims to shed light on the role which this trade had in spreading oriental culture in the fields of medicine and food

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