Economic Situation
There is no doubt that the economy is a reflection of a state's strength and weakness. The truth is that Algeria's markets are known for their abundance of products and the vitality of their exchanges. This is demonstrated by the movement of merchant ships in the port of Algiers and elsewhere. The nature of the materials traded also illustrates Algeria's large purchasing power, However, in the years preceding the invasion and occupation, Algeria's markets had lost their luster, and its economy had been subjected to systematic destruction by the French occupation in order to pounce on its wealth.
· Agricultural and commercial situation:
The final period of the "El-Deyat" era was marked by low agricultural returns because taxes were the primary source of state income, which hampered development, particularly after the decline of the spoils of maritime jihad.
Despite the obstacles, employees and the military Janissary attempted to maintain the flow of funds to the treasury, price stability, abundant production, and available goods in order to maintain their purchasing power and the continuity of their incomes and projects, particularly in cities where transactions and ways of earning property were prevalent. However, given that the eighteenth century saw instabilities in internal political, economic, and even external conditions related to piracy, which negatively affected their living conditions, incomes, and expenditures, these conditions cannot be generalized to those periods.
In terms of trade, Algeria has two types: internal and external.
- Most of the time, the people did the domestic trade, as did the Jews, who offered their services to the people and even carried goods to the edge of the desert if necessary; the Jews were like a mobile shop.
- Foreign trade was mostly practiced by foreigners, particularly Jews, and Algeria worked to cover the deficit by trading with sub-Saharan African countries. The convoys traveling from Algeria to the southwest took months and encountered multiple problems, the most serious of which were bandits and a lack of water.
What exacerbated the situation was insecurity within the province due to internal revolutions, such as the revolutions of Abdellah El-Charif, nicknamed Ibn El-Ahrach in 1218 AH / 1803 AD, and Abdelkader El-Charif El-Darkawi in 1220 AH / 1805 AD against the authority of the Beylak and Makhzen tribes for their exaggeration in tax collection. It coincided with the spread of drought and famine in the country between the years (1803-1805), which was negatively reflected in the high cost of living and the rise in prices caused by nature's wrath, as well as the invasion of locusts and the spread of the plague in 1816.
In addition to the treasury's role in financial regulation, endowment institutions have abundant public services such as roads, water, education, and places of worship as a result of their establishment of an independent financial body based on the periodic division of resources. The “Ahbas El-Chorafa Li Riayat El-Foukara” Foundation's agents were in charge of caring for the poor, and their goal was to achieve social solidarity. The province's treasury derives its existence and strength from the collection of taxes and the regulation of property, the proceeds of which contributed to the flow of several employees and military organizations from stores, shifts, and leadership. The levy gives the rule the formula for material existence, and its collection shows the tribes' submission to the authority, influence, and good management.
How was the tax collection process carried out in light of administrative regulations, Islamic legislation, and customary practices?
1. Tax collection: Taxes from "Beylak's" financial resources are entrusted to employees and Janissaries, who vary in quality and value.
1. Usual legitimate taxes imposed on private lands, including "El-Ouchour" and "Zakat," which are religiously legislated, affecting agricultural and animal crops, and are paid with an in-kind or cash value estimated at:
2. 110 of the value of the crop. The nature of the land and its distribution were considered.
The task of "El-Ouchour" control and storage is entrusted to the leader of "El-Ouchour" in "beylak," along with an inventory of crop inspection reports based on the conclusions of Arab tribal elders in the homelands about the production rate. "El-Ouchour" are used for a variety of purposes. "From the land, a tenth or tenth part of the production is taken, and the amounts of those tithes are placed in the treasury fund to pay the salaries of the army, care for the poor, raise orphans, and pay the wages of judges and teachers," Hamdane Khodja explained.
1.2 Additional taxes: Imposed on lands exploited by independent tribes who refused to serve in the vicinity of the Beylak's authority. This tax is known as the obligation, and it can be paid in cash or in kind. It is also known as the Bedouin tax. A penalty interest was imposed on the abstaining tribes, while the rebellious tribes imposed the blood money tax or compulsory sin as a criterion for submission and obedience to the dey.
1.3 Circumstantial taxes: imposed during honorary occasions and promotional appointments, and it took the form of various fees presented by tribal leaders and sheikhs after their appointment as compromises and gifts to the Arab's Agha, tax collection employees, and Beys.
2. Ownership and its laws: The Ottoman Janissary agricultural feudalism and tribal symbols contributed to the province's economy, influencing the social financial pyramid, and varying levels of income and wealth among the various positions of Janissary employees and soldiers.
2.1 Public Property: Lands exploited by "Makhzani tribes" loyal to the Ottoman central authority in the "Dar El-Soultan" and the "Beylak Authority," which settled and practiced their activities in exchange for payment of ouchour and houkour dues.
2.2 Private Property: Agricultural properties, exploited by their owners or beneficiaries, within the concession system or pledged to their investors through rent after some tribes abandon them. Due to the absence of its legal heirs, the authority of the Beylak exploited it, and it was included in the legitimacy of the Bait El-Mal.
2.3 Houbous and endowment lands: It was characterized by achieving public benefit and charitable work, including:
1. Special Habous for the Two Holy Mosques (Mecca and Madinah): to cover maintenance costs, employee wages, and, in some cases, to free captured Muslims.
2. Ahbas Almoravids 1) allocated to cover the Almoravids' expenses and educational projects.
5. Special Ahbas in Hanafi and Maliki mosques to pay imams' and Quran reciters' salaries.
8. Andalusians’ Ahbas : provide cash and in-kind subsidies to the poor and improve the lives of the poor in Andalusia
26. Janissary Ahbas : budgeted to spend on needy Janissary soldiers in order to improve their conditions and keep some barracks and public social facilities open to the public.
3. Prices and purchasing power: Despite the fact that natural disasters, epidemics, and European military threats impacted the Algerian province's internal and external trade, the challenges faced by farmers and industrial producers had an influence on providing and exchanging goods, as well as maintaining price stability in urban and rural markets. The Janissaries' employees and soldiers, as well as their promotion, aimed at preserving purchasing power, achieving a balance in food consumption, providing the necessary clothing and military means, and achieving a percentage of savings and wealth.
· Industrial status:
The craftsmen were organized into bodies that were supervised by a trustee or the group as an administrative and organizational structure, with the mission of enriching and flourishing crafts, fighting fraud, stimulating commodities, and controlling their prices in urban markets. Craft and commercial cities abound, such as Tlemcen, famous for making wool and blankets, Mostaganem for carpets, and Constantine for textiles, leather, and furniture, as a result of the interaction of craftsmen with the skill of Andalusians who excelled in several industries despite a lack of raw materials. The industry spread among the inhabitants of the Banou Abbas and Banou Flissa tribes, who were famous for making local guns, swords, and pistols, and they even made counterfeit money in imitation of the Algerian Ottoman and Spanish coins most commonly circulated in the markets .
