Mutassarifate Of Jerusalem
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The Mutasarrifate of Jerusalem (, ; , , ), also known as the
Sanjak of Jerusalem The Sanjak of Jerusalem (; ) was an Ottoman sanjak that formed part of the Damascus Eyalet for much of its existence.Abu-Manneh (1999), pp3637. It was created in the 16th century by the Ottoman Empire following the 1516–1517 Ottoman–Mamluk ...
, was a district in
Ottoman Syria Ottoman Syria () is a historiographical term used to describe the group of divisions of the Ottoman Empire within the region of the Levant, usually defined as being east of the Mediterranean Sea, west of the Euphrates River, north of the Ara ...
with special administrative status established in 1872.Büssow (2011), p
5
Abu-Manneh (1999), p
39
Jankowski & Gershoni (1997), p
174
The district encompassed
Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...
as well as
Hebron Hebron (; , or ; , ) is a Palestinian city in the southern West Bank, south of Jerusalem. Hebron is capital of the Hebron Governorate, the largest Governorates of Palestine, governorate in the West Bank. With a population of 201,063 in ...
,
Jaffa Jaffa (, ; , ), also called Japho, Joppa or Joppe in English, is an ancient Levantine Sea, Levantine port city which is part of Tel Aviv, Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel, located in its southern part. The city sits atop a naturally elevated outcrop on ...
, Gaza and
Beersheba Beersheba ( / ; ), officially Be'er-Sheva, is the largest city in the Negev desert of southern Israel. Often referred to as the "Capital of the Negev", it is the centre of the fourth-most populous metropolitan area in Israel, the eighth-most p ...
.Beshara (2012), pp
23
Many documents during the Late Ottoman period, refer to the Mutasarrifate of Jerusalem as Palestine;. One such describes Palestine as including the
Sanjak of Nablus The Nablus Sanjak (; ) was an administrative area that existed throughout Ottoman rule in the Levant (1517–1917). It was administratively part of the Damascus Eyalet until 1864 when it became part of Syria Vilayet and then the Beirut Vilaye ...
and Sanjak of Akka (Acre) as well, more in line with European usage.The 1915 ''Filastin Risalesi'' ("Palestine Document") is a country survey of the
VIII Corps 8th Corps, Eighth Corps, or VIII Corps may refer to: * VIII Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French army during the Napoleonic Wars * VIII Army Corps (German Confederation) * VIII Corps (German Empire), a unit of the Imperial German Arm ...
of the Ottoman Army, which identified Palestine as a region including the sanjaqs of Akka (the Galilee), the Sanjaq of Nablus, and the Sanjaq of Jerusalem (Kudus Sherif). "The new expanded use of the designation Filistin by the Ottoman military authorities in Risalesi therefore, is novel, but not arbitrary," since the boundaries of Filistin were never precisely defined; se
Ottoman Conceptions of Palestine-Part 2: Ethnography and Cartography, Salim Tamari
/ref> It was the 7th most heavily populated region of the Ottoman Empire's 36 provinces.Karpat (1985), p
210
The district was separated from the
Damascus Eyalet Damascus Eyalet (; ) was an eyalet of the Ottoman Empire. Its reported area in the 19th century was . It became an eyalet after the Ottomans took it from the Mamluks following the 1516–1517 Ottoman–Mamluk War. By Gábor Ágoston, Bruce Alan ...
and placed directly under the supervision of the Ottoman central government in
Constantinople Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...
(now
Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...
) in 1841, and formally created as an independent province in 1872 by
Grand Vizier Grand vizier (; ; ) was the title of the effective head of government of many sovereign states in the Islamic world. It was first held by officials in the later Abbasid Caliphate. It was then held in the Ottoman Empire, the Mughal Empire, the Soko ...
Mahmud Nedim Pasha.Abu-Manneh (1999), p
38
Scholars provide a variety of reasons for the separation, including increased European interest in the region, and strengthening of the southern border of the Empire against the
Khedivate of Egypt The Khedivate of Egypt ( or , ; ') was an autonomous tributary state of the Ottoman Empire, established and ruled by the Muhammad Ali Dynasty following the defeat and expulsion of Napoleon Bonaparte's forces which brought an end to the short- ...
. Initially, the Mutasarrifate of Acre and Mutasarrifate of Nablus were combined with the province of Jerusalem, with the combined province being referred to in the register of the court of Jerusalem as the "Jerusalem
Eyalet Eyalets (, , ), also known as beylerbeyliks or pashaliks, were the primary administrative divisions of the Ottoman Empire. From 1453 to the beginning of the nineteenth century the Ottoman local government was loosely structured. The empire was a ...
", and referred to by the British consul as the creation of "
Palestine Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and th ...
into a separate eyalet". After less than two months, the sanjaks of Nablus and Acre were separated and added to the Vilayet of Beirut, leaving just the Mutasarrifate of Jerusalem.Büssow (2011), pp
41
44.
In 1906, the Kaza of Nazareth was added to the Jerusalem Mutasarrifate as an
exclave An enclave is a territory that is entirely surrounded by the territory of only one other state or entity. An enclave can be an independent territory or part of a larger one. Enclaves may also exist within territorial waters. ''Enclave'' is s ...
,Kark (1994), p
131
primarily in order to allow the issuance of a single tourist permit to Christian travellers.Büssow (2011), p
70
The area was conquered by the Allied Forces in 1917 during
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
Powles & Wilkie (1922), p
167-168
and a military
Occupied Enemy Territory Administration The Occupied Enemy Territory Administration (OETA) was a joint British, French and Arab military administration over the Levantine provinceswhich had been part of the Ottoman Empire for four centuriesbetween 1918 and 1920, set up on 23 October ...
, OETA South, was set up to replace the Ottoman administration.Macmunn & Falls, p
607
OETA South consisted of the Ottoman sanjaks of Jerusalem, Nablus and Acre. The military administration was replaced by a British civilian administration in 1920 and the area of OETA South was incorporated into the British Mandate of Palestine in 1923. The political status of the Mutasarrifate of Jerusalem was unique from other Ottoman provinces as it was under the direct authority of the Ottoman government in Constantinople. The inhabitants identified themselves primarily on religious terms, 84% being Muslim Arabs.El-Hasan (2010), p. 38. The district's villages were normally inhabited by farmers while its towns were populated by merchants, artisans, landowners and money-lenders. The elite consisted of the religious leadership, wealthy landlords and high-ranking civil servants.


History

In 1841, the district was separated from
Damascus Eyalet Damascus Eyalet (; ) was an eyalet of the Ottoman Empire. Its reported area in the 19th century was . It became an eyalet after the Ottomans took it from the Mamluks following the 1516–1517 Ottoman–Mamluk War. By Gábor Ágoston, Bruce Alan ...
and placed directly under Constantinople and formally created as an independent Mutasarrifate in 1872. Before 1872, the Mutasarrifate of Jerusalem was officially a ''
sanjak A sanjak or sancak (, , "flag, banner") was an administrative division of the Ottoman Empire. The Ottomans also sometimes called the sanjak a liva (, ) from the name's calque in Arabic and Persian. Banners were a common organization of nomad ...
'' within the Syria Vilayet (created in 1864, following the
Tanzimat The (, , lit. 'Reorganization') was a period of liberal reforms in the Ottoman Empire that began with the Edict of Gülhane of 1839 and ended with the First Constitutional Era in 1876. Driven by reformist statesmen such as Mustafa Reşid Pash ...
reforms). The southern border of the Mutasarrifate of Jerusalem was redrawn in 1906, at the instigation of the British, who were interested in safeguarding their imperial interests and in making the border as short and patrollable as possible.Gardus & Shmueli, eds. (1978–79), pp. 369–370. In the mid-19th century the inhabitants of Palestine identified themselves primarily in terms of religious affiliation. The population was 84% Muslim Arabs, 10% Christian Arabs, 5% Jewish, and 1%
Druze The Druze ( ; , ' or ', , '), who Endonym and exonym, call themselves al-Muwaḥḥidūn (), are an Arabs, Arab Eastern esotericism, esoteric Religious denomination, religious group from West Asia who adhere to the Druze faith, an Abrahamic ...
Arabs. Towards the end of the 19th century, the idea that the region of Palestine or the Mutasarrifate of Jerusalem formed a separate political entity became widespread among the district's educated Arab classes. In 1904, former Jerusalem official Najib Azuri formed in
Paris, France Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
the ''Ligue de la Patrie Arabe'' ("Arab Fatherland League") whose goal was to free
Ottoman Syria Ottoman Syria () is a historiographical term used to describe the group of divisions of the Ottoman Empire within the region of the Levant, usually defined as being east of the Mediterranean Sea, west of the Euphrates River, north of the Ara ...
and Iraq from Turkish domination. In 1908, Azuri proposed the elevation of the ''mutasarrifate'' to the status of ''
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 ...
'' to the
Ottoman Parliament The General Assembly (; French romanization: "Medjliss Oumoumi" or ''Genel Parlamento''; ) was the first attempt at representative democracy by the imperial government of the Ottoman Empire. Also known as the Ottoman Parliament ('' Legislation o ...
after the 1908
Young Turk Revolution The Young Turk Revolution (July 1908; ) was a constitutionalist revolution in the Ottoman Empire. Revolutionaries belonging to the Internal Committee of Union and Progress, an organization of the Young Turks movement, forced Sultan Abdul Hamid II ...
. A section of the 1914 Ottoman census''Mutasarrifate of Jerusalem'' is referred to as ''Jerusalem Sanjak'' in the official document listed its population figures. The area was conquered by the Allied Forces in 1917 during the
Palestine campaign The Sinai and Palestine campaign was part of the Middle Eastern theatre of World War I, taking place between January 1915 and October 1918. The British Empire, the French Third Republic, and the Kingdom of Italy fought alongside the Arab Revolt ...
of
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
and a military
Occupied Enemy Territory Administration The Occupied Enemy Territory Administration (OETA) was a joint British, French and Arab military administration over the Levantine provinceswhich had been part of the Ottoman Empire for four centuriesbetween 1918 and 1920, set up on 23 October ...
(OETA South) set up to replace the Ottoman administration. OETA South consisted of the Ottoman sanjaks of Jerusalem, Nablus and Acre. The military administration was replaced by a British civilian administration in 1920 and the area of OETA South became the territory of the British Mandate of Palestine in 1923, with some border adjustments with Lebanon and Syria.


Boundaries

The division was bounded on the west by the Mediterranean, on the east by the
River Jordan The Jordan River or River Jordan (, ''Nahr al-ʾUrdunn''; , ''Nəhar hayYardēn''), also known as ''Nahr Al-Sharieat'' (), is a endorheic basin, endorheic river in the Levant that flows roughly north to south through the Sea of Galilee and d ...
and the
Dead Sea The Dead Sea (; or ; ), also known by #Names, other names, is a landlocked salt lake bordered by Jordan to the east, the Israeli-occupied West Bank to the west and Israel to the southwest. It lies in the endorheic basin of the Jordan Rift Valle ...
, on the north by a line from the mouth of the river Auja to the bridge over the Jordan near Jericho, and on the south by a line from midway between Gaza and
Arish ʻArish or el-ʻArīsh ( ' ) is the capital and largest city of the North Sinai Governorate of Egypt, as well as the largest city on the Sinai Peninsula, lying on the Mediterranean coast northeast of Cairo and west of the Egypt–Gaza border ...
to
Aqaba Aqaba ( , ; , ) is the only coastal city in Jordan and the largest and most populous city on the Gulf of Aqaba. Situated in southernmost Jordan, Aqaba is the administrative center of the Aqaba Governorate. The city had a population of 148, ...
.


Maps

Below are a series of contemporary Ottoman maps showing the "Quds Al-Sharif Sancağı" or "Quds Al-Sharif Mutasarrıflığı". The 1907 maps show the 1860 borders between Ottoman Syria and the
Khedivate of Egypt The Khedivate of Egypt ( or , ; ') was an autonomous tributary state of the Ottoman Empire, established and ruled by the Muhammad Ali Dynasty following the defeat and expulsion of Napoleon Bonaparte's forces which brought an end to the short- ...
, although the border was moved to the current Israel-Egypt border in 1906, and the area north of the
Negev Desert The Negev ( ; ) or Naqab (), is a desert and semidesert region of southern Israel. The region's largest city and administrative capital is Beersheba (pop. ), in the north. At its southern end is the Gulf of Aqaba and the resort town, resort city ...
is labelled "Filastin" (Palestine). Image:Ottoman map of the Mutasarrifate of Jerusalem, from 1882-83 (1300 AH).jpg, 1883 File:Mutasarrifate of Jerusalem in 1889.jpg, 1889 Image:1889 Modern Palestine, shewing Turkish provinces.jpg, 1889 Image:Ottoman Syria, 1893 map.jpg, 1893 Image:Map of the Jerusalem Sanjak.jpg, c.1900 Image:Jerusalem Sanjak — Memalik-i Mahruse-i Shahane-ye Mahsus Mukemmel ve Mufassal Atlas (1907).jpg, 1907 Image:Beirut Vilayet and Mount Lebanon Mutasarrifate — Memalik-i Mahruse-i Shahane-ye Mahsus Mukemmel ve Mufassal Atlas (1907).jpg, 1907 Image: 1913 Ottoman Geography Textbook Showing the Sanjak of Jerusalem and Palestine.jpeg, 1912-13


Administrative divisions

C.R. Condor described the administrative duties which he saw performed in
Palestine Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and th ...
in 1874: Administrative divisions of the Mutasarrifate (1872–1909): # Beersheba Kaza (; ; ), which included two sub-districts and a municipality: #* a-Hafir (; ; ), created in 1908 as a middle point between Beersheba and
Aqaba Aqaba ( , ; , ) is the only coastal city in Jordan and the largest and most populous city on the Gulf of Aqaba. Situated in southernmost Jordan, Aqaba is the administrative center of the Aqaba Governorate. The city had a population of 148, ...
, close to the newly agreed border with SinaiKushner (2005), p
96
#* al-Mulayha, created in 1908 as a midway point between Hafir and Aqaba #*
Beersheba Beersheba ( / ; ), officially Be'er-Sheva, is the largest city in the Negev desert of southern Israel. Often referred to as the "Capital of the Negev", it is the centre of the fourth-most populous metropolitan area in Israel, the eighth-most p ...
(; ; ), created in 1901 # Gaza Kaza (; ; ), which included three sub-districts and a municipality: #*
Al-Faluja al-Faluja () was a Palestinian Arab village in the British Mandate for Palestine, located 30 kilometers northeast of Gaza City. Al-Faluja absorbed settlers from various areas, including Dura.Grossman, D. (1986). "Oscillations in the Rural S ...
(; ; ), created in 1903 #*
Khan Yunis Khan Yunis (), also spelled Khan Younis or Khan Yunus, is a city in the southern Gaza Strip, Palestine, and serves as the capital of the Khan Yunis Governorate. It has been largely destroyed during the Gaza war. Before the 14th century, Khan Y ...
(; ; ), created in 1903 and became a municipality in 1917 #* al-Majdal (; ; ), created in 1880 #* Gaza (; ; ), created in 1893 # Hebron Kaza (; ; ), which included two sub-districts and a municipality: #* Bayt 'Itab (; ; ), created in 1903 #*
Bayt Jibrin Bayt Jibrin or Beit Jibrin ( lit. 'House of the Powerful') was an Arab village in the Hebron Subdistrict of British Mandatory Palestine, in what is today the State of Israel, which was depopulated during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War. It was ...
(; ; ), created in 1903 #*
Hebron Hebron (; , or ; , ) is a Palestinian city in the southern West Bank, south of Jerusalem. Hebron is capital of the Hebron Governorate, the largest Governorates of Palestine, governorate in the West Bank. With a population of 201,063 in ...
(; ; ), created in 1886 # Jaffa Kaza (; ; ), which included two sub-districts and a municipality: #*
Ni'lin Ni'lin () is a Palestinian people, Palestinian town in the Ramallah and al-Bireh Governorate of the State of Palestine, in the central West Bank, located west of Ramallah. Ni'lin is about east of the 1949 Armistice Line (Green Line) bordered b ...
(; ; ), created in 1903 #*
Ramla Ramla (), also known as Ramle (, ), is a city in the Central District of Israel. Ramle is one of Israel's mixed cities, with significant numbers of both Jews and Arabs. The city was founded in the early 8th century CE by the Umayyad caliph S ...
(; ; ), created in 1880, became municipality before 1888 and re-established as sub-district in 1889 #*
Lydda Lod (, ), also known as Lydda () and Lidd (, or ), is a city southeast of Tel Aviv and northwest of Jerusalem in the Central District of Israel. It is situated between the lower Shephelah on the east and the coastal plain on the west. The ci ...
(; ; ) # Jerusalem Kaza (; ; ), which included four sub-districts and two municipalities: #*
Abwein Abwein () is a Palestinian village in the Ramallah and al-Bireh Governorate of the State of Palestine, located about 37 kilometers north of Ramallah, in the northern West Bank. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, Abwein's ...
(; ; ), created in 1903; #*
Bethlehem Bethlehem is a city in the West Bank, Palestine, located about south of Jerusalem, and the capital of the Bethlehem Governorate. It had a population of people, as of . The city's economy is strongly linked to Tourism in the State of Palesti ...
(; ; ), created in 1883 and became a municipality in 1894; #*
Ramallah Ramallah ( , ; ) is a Palestinians, Palestinian city in the central West Bank, that serves as the administrative capital of the State of Palestine. It is situated on the Judaean Mountains, north of Jerusalem, at an average elevation of abov ...
(; ; ), created in 1903 and became a municipality in 1911, #* Saffa (; ; ), #*
Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...
(; ; ), created in 1867 and #*
Beit Jala Beit Jala () is a Palestinian Christian town in the Bethlehem Governorate of Palestine, in the West Bank. Beit Jala is located 10 km south of Jerusalem, on the western side of the Hebron road, opposite Bethlehem, at altitude. In 2017, Be ...
(; ; ), created in 1912. # Nazareth Kaza (; ; ), established 1906.


Mutasarrıfs of Jerusalem

The Mutasarrıfs of Jerusalem were appointed by the
Sublime Porte The Sublime Porte, also known as the Ottoman Porte or High Porte ( or ''Babıali''; ), was a synecdoche or metaphor used to refer collectively to the central government of the Ottoman Empire in Istanbul. It is particularly referred to the buildi ...
to govern the district. They were usually experienced civil servants who spoke little or no Arabic, but knew a European language - most commonly French - in addition to
Ottoman Turkish Ottoman Turkish (, ; ) was the standardized register of the Turkish language in the Ottoman Empire (14th to 20th centuries CE). It borrowed extensively, in all aspects, from Arabic and Persian. It was written in the Ottoman Turkish alphabet. ...
.Kushner (July 1987).


Pre-separation from Damascus

* Sureyya Pasha 1857–63 * Izzet Pasha 1864–67 * Nazif Pasha 1867–69 * Kamil Pasha 1869–71 * Ali Bey 1871–72


Post-separation from Damascus

* Nazif Pasha (same as above) 1872–73 * Kamil Pasha (same as above) 1873–75 * Ali Bey (same as above) 1874–76 * Faik Bey 1876–77 * Mehmed Rauf Pasha 1877–89 * Resad Pasha 1889–90 * Ibrahim Hakki Pasha 1890–97 *
Mehmet Tevfik Biren Mehmet Tevfik Biren (1867 – 1956) was an Ottoman government official and liberal politician of the short-lived Ottoman Liberty Party. He was in favor of signing the Treaty of Sèvres. He was the son of an Ottoman bureaucrat, growing up in I ...
1897–01 *
Mehmet Cavit Bey Mehmet Cavit Bey, Mehmed Cavid Bey or Mehmed Djavid Bey (; 1875 – 26 August 1926) was a Dönme–Ottoman economist, newspaper editor and leading liberal politician during the dissolution period of the Ottoman Empire. As a Young Turk and a me ...
1901–02 * Osman Kazim Bey 1902–04 * Ahmed Resid Bey 1904–06 * Ali Ekrem Bolayır 1906–08


Post-Young Turk Revolution

List of mutasarrıfs after the 1908
Young Turk Revolution The Young Turk Revolution (July 1908; ) was a constitutionalist revolution in the Ottoman Empire. Revolutionaries belonging to the Internal Committee of Union and Progress, an organization of the Young Turks movement, forced Sultan Abdul Hamid II ...
: * Subhi Bey 1908–09 * Nazim Bey 1909–10 * Azmi Bey 1910–11 * Cevdet Bey 1911–12 *
Mehdi Frashëri Mehdi bey Frashëri (28 February 1872 – 25 May 1963) was an Albanian intellectual and politician. He served as Prime Minister of Albania in the 1930s and as Chairman of the Provisional Administration Committee in the Albanian puppet govern ...
(Muhdi Bey) 1912 * Tahir Hayreddin Bey 1912–13 * Ahmed Macid Bey 1913–15


See also

*
Ottoman Syria Ottoman Syria () is a historiographical term used to describe the group of divisions of the Ottoman Empire within the region of the Levant, usually defined as being east of the Mediterranean Sea, west of the Euphrates River, north of the Ara ...
*
History of Jerusalem Jerusalem is one of the world's oldest cities, with a history spanning over 5,000 years. Its origins trace back to around 3000 BCE, with the first settlement near the Gihon Spring. The city is first mentioned in Egyptian execration texts arou ...
*
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 ...
* Timeline of the name "Palestine" *
1914 Ottoman census The 1914 Ottoman census was published as the ''Memalik-i-Osmaniyyenin 1330 Senesi Nütus Istatistiki''. According to the introduction, the statistics were derived from data collected during the 1905–06 Ottoman census, adjusted to reflect demogra ...


Notes


References


Bibliography

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * {{coord missing, Asia Late modern history of Jerusalem 1872 establishments in Ottoman Syria 1917 disestablishments in the Ottoman Empire Land of Israel Ottoman Palestine
Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...