The term “vigla”, which appears in the Ottoman archival documents, is argued to be an institution existing in the Balkans before the Ottoman period. One must consider “vigla/vigli” as a pioneer of the derbendci institution which was a partly peasant and partly military institution and oversaw the functions of observation, control and defence in Anatolia and the Balkans, serving in the mountainous and cliffy regions, streams and shores. Ottoman kanunnames (law codes) and tahrir registers (land surveys) reveal that in the Aegean Islands, the “vigla/vigli” organization prevailed as opposed to the derbend institution. In the present study, the aim is to detect the settlements on the Aegean within the context of the “vigla/vigil” organization. The organization will be evaluated and exemplified in accordance with the Ottoman archival material. Furthermore, the similarities of the organization with the derbend institution will be stated and compared.

The term “vigla”, which appears in the Ottoman archival documents, is argued to be an institution existing in the Balkans before the Ottoman period. One must consider “vigla/vigli” as a pioneer of the derbendci institution which was a partly peasant and partly military institution and oversaw the functions of observation, control and defence in Anatolia and the Balkans, serving in the mountainous and cliffy regions, streams and shores. Ottoman kanunnames (law codes) and tahrir registers (land surveys) reveal that in the Aegean Islands, the “vigla/vigli” organization prevailed as opposed to the derbend institution. In the present study, the aim is to detect the settlements on the Aegean within the context of the “vigla/vigil” organization. The organization will be evaluated and exemplified in accordance with the Ottoman archival material. Furthermore, the similarities of the organization with the derbend institution will be stated and compared.