Muleteers were paid to carry goods and people across the Ottoman Empire. Across most of the Balkans, the only way to travel long distances over land was using mules. Metsovo’s muleteers were among the most important carriers in Ottoman territory.
At the beginning of the 19th century, French traveller Pouqueville points to the residents of Metsovo and of Zagori as the most active muleteers in the European market of the Ottoman Empire.
Metsovo – Malakasi. Horse on a track, early 20th century. (Μargaret Hasluck)
Towns communicated with each other through an extensive road network in which arched bridges played a major role. The merchants’ caravans travelled across the Balkan peninsula and central Europe, opening up new channels for communication as well as the exchange of products and ideas.
In the early 17th century, the trip from Ioannina to Bucharest lasted 212 hours (26-30 days). Metsovo was the first stop for caravans travelling into Europe and the Balkans.
