Sharing History

In the wake of rapid industrialisation and the expansion of international trade, many ports around the Mediterranean, the Middle East and Europe grew into bustling economic hubs. Due to the increasing transfer and exchange of commodities and the introduction of steamship services, the most important ones – whether for export, import or transit trade – underwent state-of-the art modernisation, generally supported by European investment and built by European firms. Ports had close strategic links with the main trading centres inland as well as across the seaways. Like the former, they were characterised by an ever-increasing multi-ethnic and multi-faith population. In many places, foreign minorities lived and worked peacefully with and alongside local residents, while at the same time preserving their own distinct culture, language and faith. Typically, specific communities specialised in specific aspects of the economy and maintained their own intra-regional or international networks.