the ethics of trade in the market until the tanzimat age (i.e. until the mid-19th century) were quite different from the modern ones: indifference to profit, absence of envy in the successes of other traders, and a single and correct price were peculiar traits of the ottoman bazaar during its golden age. the reason for such behavior lies partly in the ethics of islam, and partly in the guild system which provided a strong social security net to the merchants. afterwards, the westernization of the ottoman society and the influence of the national minorities caused the introduction of mercantile ethics in ottoman society.