The main market buildings in Belgrade are built in a style similar to a cathedral church. Inside, especially on the upper level, they resemble the Old Exchange, with open spaces that allow merchants to display and store their goods. These buildings are large and solid, designed to hold valuable merchandise and to protect traders from bad weather. Their size and arrangement show how important trade is to the life of the city Ephesus Day Trips.
The Caravanserai and Mosques
The Grand Vizier has built a fine caravanserai in Belgrade. This is a large lodging place for merchants and travelers. In the center of its courtyard there is a fountain, which provides water for both people and animals. Near this caravanserai stands a mosque, also with a fountain placed before its entrance, where worshippers wash before prayer.
This mosque was the first mosque I had the opportunity to enter and see from the inside. Its design was simple yet dignified, and it showed the care taken by the Ottoman authorities to provide places of worship alongside places of trade and rest.
A College for Students
The Grand Vizier also founded a medrese, or college, for students. While visiting, I noticed a student dressed in green clothing, wearing a turban with four corners, which set him apart from others. This form of dress is a special sign of rank or learning, and it shows that education is respected and supported in the city.
Burial Grounds and the Plague
Although burial grounds can be found near most towns in this region, I observed that sepulchres are especially numerous around Belgrade. This is partly because the city is very populous, but also because the plague had recently visited the city, causing many deaths. The large number of graves stands as a quiet reminder of the dangers faced by cities where many people live close together Journey by Water to Belgrade.
Hospitality of Armenian Merchants
We stayed at the house of an Armenian merchant, where we were generously and comfortably received. We also visited several other Armenian households, many of which were well built and finely arranged. In one such house, there was a fountain, a well-made bath, and heated stoves. We were offered coffee, sherbet, and excellent wines, produced in the surrounding countryside.
The Armenians are spread across nearly all major trading cities. They have a church in Belgrade, and in my experience, they are more straightforward and fair in trade than either the Jews or the Greeks. Buying from them is usually done with clear terms and honest dealing.
Trade and Strategic Importance of Belgrade
The lands surrounding Belgrade carry on a great trade with the city. Merchants from Ragusa are active here, and traders from Vienna maintain a permanent factory, or trading house, in the city. Belgrade is one of the best-situated inland trading cities in Europe.
Its position at the meeting of the Danube and the Sava, along with nearby rivers such as the Tibiscus, Drava, and Morava, allows goods to be transported easily from many distant regions. Since the Danube flows onward to the Black Sea, Belgrade is connected not only to inland Europe but also to far eastern lands.
The Rich Potential of Serbia
The land of Servia is fertile and pleasant, made up of plains, forests, and hills. It could supply metals, strong horses, good wine, and brave men. If this country were governed with the same care and order as the lands of Western Europe, it would surely become a most flourishing and powerful region.
