Mutasarrif, mutesarrif, mutasarriff, or mutesarriff () was the title used in the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

and places like post-Ottoman

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

for the governor of an administrative district in place of the usual

sanjakbey ''Sanjak-bey'', ''sanjaq-bey'' or ''-beg'' () was the title given in the Ottoman Empire to a bey (a high-ranking officer, but usually not a pasha) appointed to the military and administrative command of a district (''sanjak'', in Arabic '' liwa’' ...

. The Ottoman rank of mutasarrif was established as part of a 1864 reform, and its holder was appointed directly by the Sultan. The administrative district under his authority, the mutasarrifate (), was officially called a () in Turkish or () in

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

and Persian.Meyers (1905–1909)
Liwâ
A mutasarrif was subordinate to a

wali The term ''wali'' is most commonly used by Muslims to refer to a saint, or literally a "friend of God".John Renard, ''Friends of God: Islamic Images of Piety, Commitment, and Servanthood'' (Berkeley: University of California Press, 2008); John ...

governor-general Governor-general (plural governors-general), or governor general (plural governors general), is the title of an official, most prominently associated with the British Empire. In the context of the governors-general and former British colonies, ...

of a province, while being of superior rank to a

kaymakam Kaymakam, also known by #Names, many other romanizations, was a title used by various officials of the Ottoman Empire, including acting grand viziers, governors of provincial sanjaks, and administrators of district kazas. The title has been reta ...

.Meyers (1905–1909)
Kaimakam

Etymology

Ottoman Turkish mutasarrıf is derived from the Arabic mutaṣarrif, meaning provincial governor.lexico.com
mutasarrif
Accessed 11 Feb 2022. Mutaṣarrif is the active participle of taṣarrafa, meaning "to act without restriction", "have the right of disposing (over somebody or something)".

History

This administrative unit was sometimes independent (e.g.,

Mount Lebanon Mutasarrifate The Mount Lebanon Mutasarrifate (1861–1918, ; ) was one of the Ottoman Empire's subdivisions following the 19th-century Tanzimat reform. After 1861, there existed an autonomous Mount Lebanon with a Christian Mutasarrif (governor), which had be ...

or Cyprus) and sometimes was part of a

vilayet A vilayet (, "province"), also known by #Names, various other names, was a first-order administrative division of the later Ottoman Empire. It was introduced in the Vilayet Law of 21 January 1867, part of the Tanzimat reform movement initiated b ...

(province), administered by a vali, and contained

nahiye A nāḥiyah ( , plural ''nawāḥī'' ), also nahiyeh, nahiya or nahia, is a regional or local type of administrative division that usually consists of a number of villages or sometimes smaller towns. In Tajikistan, it is a second-level divisi ...

(communes), each administered by a

. This rank was established in 1864 against the new Law of Villayets instead of rank of mutesellim which was abolished in 1842. "This small political unit was governed by a non-Lebanese Ottoman Christian subject and given the protection of European powers. The religious communities of the district were represented by a council that dealt directly with the governor. This system provided peace and prosperity until its abolition." The mutassarifates of the Ottoman Empire included: *

Mutasarrifate of Mount Lebanon The Mount Lebanon Mutasarrifate (1861–1918, ; ) was one of the Ottoman Empire's subdivisions following the 19th-century Tanzimat reform. After 1861, there existed an autonomous Mount Lebanon with a Christian Mutasarrif (governor), which had be ...

(formed 1861) *

Mutasarrifate of Jerusalem The Mutasarrifate of Jerusalem (, ; , , ), also known as the Sanjak of Jerusalem, was a district in Ottoman Syria with special administrative status established in 1872.Büssow (2011), p5Abu-Manneh (1999), p39Jankowski & Gershoni (1997), p174 T ...

(formed 1872) *

Mutasarrifate of Karak The Mutasarrifate of Karak (), also known as the Sanjak of Karak, was an Ottoman district with special administrative status established in 1895, located in modern-day Jordan. The city of Karak was the district's capital. It had a population of 7 ...

(formed 1894/5)Rogan, E.L. ''Frontiers of the State in the Late Ottoman Empire: Transjordan, 1850-1921''. Cambridge University Press. p55. *

Mutasarrifate of Izmit Mutasarrif, mutesarrif, mutasarriff, or mutesarriff () was the title used in the Ottoman Empire and places like post-Ottoman Iraq for the governor of an administrative district in place of the usual sanjakbey. The Ottoman rank of mutasarrif was ...

References

External links

Turkish explanation of the term
Ottoman titles Turkish words and phrases Subdivisions of the Ottoman Empire {{Ottoman-stub

Etymology

History

See also

References

External links