A great number of taxes were imposed on the harvesting and distribution of fruit and grapes. From the early years, tax advantages were offered to Muslim communities which were initially established in the Axios and Strymonas valleys following the settlement of Turkish tribes there, mainly the Anatolian Yuruks. Their purpose there was to cultivate the large expanses of land, something the reduced indigenous population was unable to do. Rich natural resources, such as the mines in Halkidiki, the salt in Pieria and the rice fields round the Strymonas and the Vardaris had a special tax status. But in time, a whole complex of taxes and duties were applied both in Macedonia and Thrace, which resulted in untold hardship, particularly for the non-Muslim population.