Western Travellers in the 18th and 19th Century Aegean Archipelago. Images of the most ?Privileged Spot? of the Ottoman Empire

The present paper is a survey of travellers? accounts about the island of Chios in the Aegean Sea. It is quite interesting to include in one paper the most important information about Chios and give an insight of the social economic and ecclesiastical life of the island through the eyes and impressions of the travellers. It is even more interesting to present their description before the catastrophe of 1822 when the island was flourishing and held a special position in the Ottoman Empire due to the unique product of masticwhich was intended for the use of the sultan's harem, and after the catastrophe when the island was transformed into a scene of deserted ruins.