The Via Egnatia ran through maybe the most ethnically diverse region of the world of around 1800 AD. Muslims of different creeds,  mainly Orthodox Christians  but  Catholic too, and large Sephardic Jewish communities in cities like Thessaloniki. Many ethnic groups populated the region: Slavs, Greeks, Turks, Albanians, Vlachs, Sarakatsani, Pomaks, Roma, and Armenians.

The Caravan Via Egnatia game depicts traveling on the Via Egnatia in the Ottoman Empire around 1800 AD when peoples’ world view was completely  different from ours today. It is hard to picture oneself in that era when national states as we know them were non-existent in the Balkans. It is even harder for us to imagine to have no notion at all of belonging to a nation. Such a thought was completely foreign to the people. The Caravan Via Egnatia game is designed to familiarize us with this pre-nationalistic mindset . 

Back then identity was defined by family, village, occupation and religion. Asked for who he was someone would say:  “ I am an orthodox peasant”.  Not: I am Greek or Bulgarian.

Life was gouverned by faith. Religious institutions were community centers and even provided jurisdiction. Society was divided by religion. Muslims enjoyed some privileges and all others were classified as dhimmis who had to pay a special tax (jizya). Each group had a fair amount of autonomy, allowing to practise the faith and to have group-specific laws concerning family, marriage, inheritance etc.

Education was mostly offered by religious institutions in the cities, but was generally lacking in the countryside.

The Ottoman economy was predominantly agrarian. Peasants worked for  wealthy landlords or the  state. The villages were tight-knit communities where large multi-generation families played a significant role. Faith, folk traditions, dances, music, and stories shaped the cultural identity of the village.

The cities were home to a cosmopolitan mix of Muslims, Christians, and Jews, though each group maintained distinct communal identities and often lived in separate residential areas. Ottoman urban planning provided many public services: central bazaars, bath houses, water supply, inns for the travelers and kitchens providing free meals for poor citizens. Crafts and local industries, such as textile production, pottery, and weaponry, thrived in towns and small cities.

Coastal cities engaged in trade and shipping. Thessaloniki was the major port on the Via Egnatia connecting mainland with the Mediterranean and beyond. 

The Via Egnatia was used by all kinds of people: traders, merchants, often moving in caravans, farmers, pilgrims, officials and military personal, postmen, musicians, craftsmen and artists, European diplomats with their escorts, and also explorers documenting landscapes, cultures and ancient ruins. 

Traveling could be challenging. Collapsed roads, snow-blocked mountain passes, and lack of maintenance often made it difficult. So-called Derbendci guarded critical points. Local militias and military personnel (Janissaries) patrolled the road.

But still robbery endangered the travelers in remote areas. One could even be caught up in clashes between local clans. That’s why travelers often joined caravans for safety, while wealthier travelers hired armed guards to fend off threats.

Most ordinary travelers went on foot. Carriages were rare but horses, mules, and donkeys were often used to carry goods or persons. Ox carts were common for transporting heavy loads in rural plains.

Many stone bridges, sometimes real engineering marvels, were built during the Ottoman period, crossing rivers and gorges.

Inns (khan or caravanserai) were spaced along the Via Egnatia offering free food, rest, and security for travelers and their animals for one or two nights.  Most caravanserais were financed through a waqf, a fund founded  by wealthy Muslims donating property, land, or funds to support public works. A waqf provided the means for the construction, operation, and upkeep of a caravanserai.

TThe caravanserais were important for trade and safety. The Ottoman Empire had a pragmatic approach to economic and social inclusivity, thus generally every traveler, Muslim or non-Muslim, was welcome in the caravanserai. Orthodox Christian monasteries often offered hospitality, particularly to pilgrims (some still do so today). One also relied on villagers to provide food and lodging.

In the early 19th century things started to change. Under tbe influence of Western European nationalism  intellectuals in the Balkans adopted the new belief that people who share a common language, culture, or ethnicity should live in an independent nation state. 

While the Ottoman state encouraged coexistence, existing tensions  between ethnic  groups grew due to the weakening of the central power in Istanbul

Nationalism instilled aspirations for independence that would soon culminate in nationalistic revolutionary movements.

Nationalistic aspirations for independence soon led to  revolutionary movements. Subsequent wars and newly drawn borders in the early twothousands ended the Via Egnatia as a continuous East-West connection in the Southern Balkans. The Via Egnatia was cut into pieces and – after more than two-thousand years – had to relinquish its role of thriving trans-Balkan highway.