the implementation of the ottoman land code of 1858 in eastern anatolia a thesis submitted to the

193 Pages·2007·2 MB·English

THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE OTTOMAN LAND CODE OF 1858 IN EASTERN
ANATOLIA

A THESIS SUBMITTED TO
THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES
OF
MIDDLE EAST TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY

BY

OYA GÖZEL

IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS
FOR
THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS
IN
THE DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY

APRIL 2007
Approval of the Graduate School of Social Sciences

Prof. Dr. Sencer Ayata
Director

I certify that this thesis satisfies all the requirements as a thesis for the degree of
Master of Arts.

Prof. Dr. Seçil Karal Akgün
Head of Department

This is to certify that we have read this thesis and that in our opinion it is fully
adequate, in scope and quality, as a thesis for the degree of Master of Arts.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Recep Boztemur
Supervisor

Examining Committee Members

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mehmet Seyitdanlıoğlu (Hacettepe, HIST)
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Recep Boztemur (METU, HIST)
Assist. Prof. Dr. Nesim Şeker (METU, HIST)
I hereby declare that all information in this document has been obtained
and presented in accordance with academic rules and ethical conduct. I
also declare that, as required by these rules and conduct, I have fully cited
and referenced all material and results that are not original to this work.

Name, Last name : Oya Gözel

Signature :

iii
ABSTRACT

THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE OTTOMAN LAND CODE OF 1858 IN
EASTERN ANATOLIA

Gözel, Oya
M. A., Department of History
Supervisor: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Recep Boztemur

May 2007, 179 pages

The nineteenth century was an era that great centralization and
codification attempts were realized in the Ottoman Empire. One of these
attempts was the Ottoman Land Code of 1858, which put various land
regulations throughout the empire into a standard code. But this standard Code
gave different results when applied to different regions which had their own
characteristic features. Eastern Anatolia, which had an autonomous position
since its incorporation to the Ottoman Empire, was also in the scope of the
Land Code.
The object of this study is to examine the implementation of the Land
Code of 1858 in eastern Anatolia and the impacts of this implementation
process in the region. Indeed, the general situation of the region greatly
disaffected the implementation of the Code in eastern Anatolia. Because of the
dominant disorder within the region and problems of the state in these lands,
the Land Code could not be properly implemented in eastern Anatolia. The
Land Code and the title deeds, which were distributed in accordance with the
Code, were so important that they became the base of later ownership claims.
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Therefore, the implementation of the Code had deep and long lasting effects on
the land patterns and social relations in the region.
In this respect, this study will evaluate the implementation process of
the Land Code throughout eastern Anatolia and the socio-economic
transformation of the region as a result of this process.

Keywords: The Ottoman Land Code of 1858, Eastern Anatolia, landownership

v
ÖZ

1858 OSMANLI ARAZİ KANUNNAMESİNİN DOĞU ANADOLU’DA
UYGULANMASI

Gözel, Oya
Yüksek Lisans, Tarih Bölümü
Tez Yöneticisi: Doç Dr. Recep Boztemur

Mayıs 2007, 179 sayfa

19. yüzyıl, Osmanlı İmparatorluğu’nda merkezileşme ve yasama
konusunda önemli adımların atıldığı bir dönemdi. Bu atılan adımların bir tanesi
de Osmanlı İmparatorluğu’ndaki çeşitli toprak düzenlemelerini standart bir
hale sokan 1858 Osmanlı Arazi Kanunnamesi’dir. Ancak bu standart
kanunname kendi karakteristik özelliklerine sahip farklı bölgelerde
uygulandığında farklı sonuçlar vermiştir. Osmanlı İmparatorluğu’na
katılmasından itibaren özerk bir konuma sahip olmuş olan Doğu Anadolu da bu
Kanunname’nin uygulama alanı içindeydi.
Bu çalışmanın amacı Arazi Kanunnamesi’nin Doğu Anadolu’da
uygulanması sürecini ve bu sürecin bölge üzerindeki etkilerini analiz etmektir.
Bu süreçte bölgenin içinde bulunduğu genel durum Arazi Kanunnamesi’nin
Doğu Anadolu’da uygulanmasını oldukça olumsuz yönde etkilemiştir. Bölge
dahilinde hakim olan düzensizlik durumu ve devletin Doğu Anadolu’daki
sorunları, Kanunname’nin burada düzgün bir şekilde uygulanmasını
engellemiştir. Arazi Kanunnamesi ve Kanunname’ye göre dağıtılan tapu
senetleri daha sonraki toprak sahipliği iddialarının temeli olduğundan çok
önemlidir. Dolayısıyla Kanunname hem toprak sahipliği biçimleri hem de
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bölgedeki sosyo-ekonomik ilişkiler üzerinde derin ve uzun bir süre devam eden
etkilerde bulunmuştur.
Bu çerçevede, bu çalışmada Kanunname’nin bölgede uygulanması ve
bu süreç sonucu bölgede yaşanan sosyo-ekonomik dönüşüm değerlendirilmeye
çalışılacaktır.

Anahtar Kelimeler: 1858 Osmanlı Arazi Kanunnamesi, Doğu Anadolu,
Toprak sahipliği

vii
To Gülendam Gözel, Yüksel Gözel
and
Yunus Emre Gözel
viii
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I would like to express my gratitude to my supervisor Recep Boztemur
for his encouragement and guidance throughout my research. Without his
support and trust to me, I could not dare to begin such a thesis.
I would also want to thank to Nesim Şeker and Mehmet Seyitdanlıoğlu
who were very kindly read the draft and made valuable comments, criticisms
and suggestions which had vastly improved the work. I would also want to
thank my professors in METU, Mesut Yeğen and Eyüp Özveren who read the
draft and made constructive criticisms to my thesis.
I am also grateful to Murat Uluğtekin who spent much time with me to
improve my knowledge in Ottoman Turkish and never hesitated to spend his
precious time in case of my questions. Without his encouragement, I could not
begin a thesis based on archival research. Without his comments and criticism,
this work would not come to an end.
I would like to thank Özden Erdoğan, Serap Efe, Deniz Dölek, Sinem
Oflaz, Erinç Erdal and M. Mustafa Kulu for their encouragement and
motivation during the thesis process. I have to express my deepest thanks
especially to Özden Erdoğan, who always supported and became with me since
I came to METU. She always motivated me with her friendship, patience and
positive energy. I am also grateful to Deniz Dölek, who experienced the same
processes with me and became my research partner in the Prime Ministry
Ottoman Archives. Lastly, I have to express my gratitude to my dear friend
Serap Efe for her belief in me.
I also owe a great deal to Şevket Pamuk who was very kind to direct me
to research the British Archival Documents and even directed me to the related
libraries which had these sources.
Finally, I would like to thank to my family for their deep and infinite
love. They have always supported me both emotionally and financially in every
field of my life.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS

PLAGIARISM………………………………………………………………...iii
ABSTRACT…………………………………………………………………...iv
ÖZ……………………………………………………………………………...vi
DEDICATION……………………………………………………………….viii
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS……………………………………………………..ix
TABLE OF CONTENTS………………………………………………………x
LIST OF TABLES…………………………………………………………...xiii
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS………………………………………………..xiv
CHAPTER
1. INTRODUCTION................................................................................1

2. THE OTTOMAN LAND SYSTEM AND THE OTTOMAN LAND
CODE OF 1858.........................................................................................7
2.1 The Ottoman Land System until the Land Code of 1858...............7
2.1.1 Miri (State-owned) Lands..................................................7
2.1.2 Mülk (Freehold) Lands....................................................11
2.1.3 Changes in the Classical Ottoman Land System...............12
2.2 The Land System in Eastern Anatolia until the Land Code of 1858
..........................................................................................................14
2.2.1 The Incorporation of Eastern Anatolia to the Ottoman
Empire......................................................................................14
2.2.2 Administrative Organization in Eastern Anatolia until the
19th Century..............................................................................18
2.2.3 The Demise of the Kurdish Emirates in the 19th Century..24
2.2.4 Social Structure of the Kurds...........................................32
2.3. The Land Code of 1858..............................................................34
2.3.1 Preparation and the Content of the Land Code of 1858....34
2.3.2 The Aims of the Ottoman Land Code of 1858..................42

x