Özet:

In the 18th Century, the transactions of commercial activities were recorded by the Merdiban method as part of the Ottoman state accounting system. This study aims to evaluate the Merdiban method’s ability to meet the requirements for a specific commercial activity and provide a historical background on the state accounting practices of the Ottoman Empire. The accounting records are translated both in the format of the Merdiban method and the double entry accounting system. Thus, the study makes a comparison of generally accepted accounting principles and rules with the Merdiban method to show its simplicity and effectiveness. The accounting record is related to an eight-month long agreement with certain officials to purchase iron ore from Northern Bulgaria and its delivery to Istanbul to be used in the imperial shipyard and in the imperial arsenal of the Ottoman Empire in the early 18th century.

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