Eventually the two brothers became considerable economic and political actors, as well as rich merchants in the extensive commercial networks from London to Isfahan.
[8] Sometime around 1650s, Anton served as the governor of Bursa and the customs officer (tax collector) of Izmir and the customs officer of the silk trade in Bursa until his brother Hasan Agha was executed in the Çınar incident in 1656, a large soldiers' revolt directed against financially powerful people in the government of Ottoman Empire.
Sensing threats to his life and fortunes from the Sultan, Anton had taken measures to relocate his wealth from the Ottoman Empire to Livorno.
[1] Anton's flexibility and adaptability facilitated his establishment of connections with prominent individuals, including members of the Medici family, and to assume active roles in the Livorno's administration.
His "oriental" dressing style, proficiency in both Ottoman Turkish and Italian languages, and his expansive commercial networks rendered him a crucial intermediary between Levantine merchants and the Tuscan authorities.
Anton had an Ottoman-style palace that functioned as an important meeting point for merchants of Levant and migrants from the Ottoman Empire and generated a robust network facilitating the exchange and dissemination of knowledge and information.
According to Lucia Frattarelli Fischer, Anton Çelebi was a highly significant shipowner in the small Tuscan fleet.