The Vilayet of Salonica () was a first-level administrative division (

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 ...

) of 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 ...

from 1867 to 1913. In the late 19th century it reportedly had an area of .Europe
by Éliseé Reclus, page 152 The vilayet was bounded by the Principality (later Kingdom) of

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

on the north;

Eastern Rumelia Eastern Rumelia (; ; ) was an autonomous province (''oblast'' in Bulgarian, ''vilayet'' in Turkish) of the Ottoman Empire with a total area of , which was created in 1878 by virtue of the Treaty of Berlin (1878), Treaty of Berlin and ''de facto'' ...

on the northeast (after the Treaty of Berlin); Edirne Vilayet on the east; the

Aegean Sea The Aegean Sea is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea between Europe and Asia. It is located between the Balkans and Anatolia, and covers an area of some . In the north, the Aegean is connected to the Marmara Sea, which in turn con ...

on the south;

Monastir Vilayet The Vilayet of Manastir () was a first-level administrative division (vilayet) of the Ottoman Empire, created in 1874, dissolved in 1877 and re-established in 1879. The vilayet was occupied during the First Balkan War in 1912 and divided between t ...

and the independent sanjak of Serfije on the west (after 1881); the Kosovo Vilayet on the northwest. The vilayet consisted of present Central and Eastern parts of

Greek Macedonia Macedonia ( ; , ) is a geographic and former administrative region of Greece, in the southern Balkans. Macedonia is the largest and geographic region in Greece, with a population of 2.36 million (as of 2020). It is highly mountainous, wit ...

and

Pirin Macedonia Pirin Macedonia or Bulgarian Macedonia () (''Pirinska Makedoniya or Bulgarska Makedoniya''), which today is in southwestern Bulgaria, is the third-biggest part of the geographical region of Macedonia. This part coincides with the borders of Blag ...

. Present Pirin Macedonia part of it was administered as

kaza A kaza (, "judgment" or "jurisdiction") was an administrative divisions of the Ottoman Empire, administrative division of the Ottoman Empire. It is also discussed in English under the names district, subdistrict, and juridical district. Kazas co ...

s of Cuma-yı Bala, Petriç, Nevrekop, Menlik, Ropçoz and Razlık. It was dissolved after

Balkan Wars The Balkan Wars were two conflicts that took place in the Balkans, Balkan states in 1912 and 1913. In the First Balkan War, the four Balkan states of Kingdom of Greece (Glücksburg), Greece, Kingdom of Serbia, Serbia, Kingdom of Montenegro, M ...

and divided among

Kingdom of Greece The Kingdom of Greece (, Romanization, romanized: ''Vasíleion tis Elládos'', pronounced ) was the Greece, Greek Nation state, nation-state established in 1832 and was the successor state to the First Hellenic Republic. It was internationally ...

Kingdom of Serbia The Kingdom of Serbia was a country located in the Balkans which was created when the ruler of the Principality of Serbia, Milan I of Serbia, Milan I, was proclaimed king in 1882. Since 1817, the Principality was ruled by the Obrenović dynast ...

and Tsardom of Bulgaria in 1913.

Administrative divisions

Sanjaks of the Vilayet:Selanik Vilayeti , Tarih ve Medeniyet
/ref> # Sanjak of Selanik (

Thessaloniki Thessaloniki (; ), also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, Salonika, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece (with slightly over one million inhabitants in its Thessaloniki metropolitan area, metropolitan area) and the capital cit ...

, Kesendire, Karaferye,

Vodina Edessa (, ), known until 1923 as Vodena (), is a city in northern Greece and the capital of the Pella regional unit, in the Central Macedonia region of Greece. It was also the capital of the defunct province of the same name. Edessa holds a spe ...

, Yenice-i Vardar, Langaza, Kılkış (It was also called Avrathisar),

Katrin Katrin is a feminine given name. It is a German and Swedish contracted form of Katherine. Katrin may refer to: Sports * Katrin Apel (born 1973), German biathlete * Katrin Beinroth (born 1981), German judoka * Katrin Borchert (born 1969), Germa ...

, Aynaroz, Doyran, Usturumca, Tikveş, Gevgili) #

Sanjak of Siroz The Sanjak of Siroz or Serres (Ottoman Turkish: ''Sancak-i/Liva-i Siroz''; , ) was a second-level Ottoman province (''sanjak'' or '' liva'') encompassing the region around the town of Serres (Turkish: ''Siroz'', now in Greece) in central Macedoni ...

( Serez, Zihne, Demirhisar, Razlık, Cuma-yı Bala, Menlik, Nevrekop) #

Sanjak of Drama The Sanjak of Drama (Ottoman Turkish: ''Sancak-i/Liva-i Drama''; ) was a second-level Ottoman province (''sanjak'' or '' liva'') encompassing the region around the town of Drama (now in Greece) in eastern Macedonia. The ''sanjak'' was formed as ...

(

Drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...

Kavala Kavala (, ''Kavála'' ) is a city in northern Greece, the principal seaport of eastern Macedonia and the capital of Kavala regional unit. It is situated on the Bay of Kavala, across from the island of Thasos and on the A2 motorway, a one-and ...

, Sarışaban, Taşoz (It was later promoted to sanjak), Pravişte, Dövlen) #Sanjak of Taşoz (It was initially part of Sanjak of Drama, its center was Vulgaro)

Demographics

According to the 1881/82-1893 Ottoman census the vilayet had a total population of 1.009.992 people, ethnically consisting as: *Muslims - 450.456 *

Greeks Greeks or Hellenes (; , ) are an ethnic group and nation native to Greece, Greek Cypriots, Cyprus, Greeks in Albania, southern Albania, Greeks in Turkey#History, Anatolia, parts of Greeks in Italy, Italy and Egyptian Greeks, Egypt, and to a l ...

- 282.013 *

Bulgarians Bulgarians (, ) are a nation and South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to Bulgaria and its neighbouring region, who share a common Bulgarian ancestry, culture, history and language. They form the majority of the population in Bulgaria, ...

- 231.606 *

Jews Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

- 41.984 *

Catholics The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

- 2.654 *

Protestants Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

- 329 *

Armenians Armenians (, ) are an ethnic group indigenous to the Armenian highlands of West Asia.Robert Hewsen, Hewsen, Robert H. "The Geography of Armenia" in ''The Armenian People From Ancient to Modern Times Volume I: The Dynastic Periods: From Antiq ...

- 48 *Foreign citizens - 1.272 250px, Map of subdivisions of Salonica Vilayet in 1907 According to the 1905/06 Ottoman Census, the vilayet had a total population of 921,359 people, ethnically consisting as: *Muslims - 419.604 *Orthodox Greeks - 263.881 *Orthodox Bulgarians - 155.710 *Jews - 52.395 *Wallachians (

Vlachs Vlach ( ), also Wallachian and many other variants, is a term and exonym used from the Middle Ages until the Modern Era to designate speakers of Eastern Romance languages living in Southeast Europe—south of the Danube (the Balkan peninsula ...

) - 20.486 *

Gypsies {{Infobox ethnic group , group = Romani people , image = , image_caption = , flag = Roma flag.svg , flag_caption = Romani flag created in 1933 and accepted at the 1971 World Romani Congress , ...

- 4.736 *Catholic Greeks - 2.693 *Oriental Armenians - 637 *Protestants - 329 *Catholic Armenians - 58 *

Latins The term Latins has been used throughout history to refer to various peoples, ethnicities and religious groups using Latin or the Latin-derived Romance languages, as part of the legacy of the Roman Empire. In the Ancient World, it referred to th ...

- 31 *

Syrians Syrians () are the majority inhabitants of Syria, indigenous to the Levant, most of whom have Arabic, especially its Levantine Arabic, Levantine and Mesopotamian Arabic, Mesopotamian dialects, as a mother tongue. The culture of Syria, cultural ...

- 4 *Foreign citizens - 795 However, according to the Ottoman Archives, the Vilayet's main ethnoconfessional groups according to the 1905/06 Ottoman Census are: *Muslims - 510,125 *Orthodox Greeks ( Patriarchists) - 326,030 *Orthodox Bulgarians ( Exarchists) - 229,422 *Jews - 52,645 By sanjaks, the four main ethnoconfessional groups number, as follows: According to an estimate by

Aram Andonian Aram Andonian (; 1875 – 23 December 1951) was an Armenian journalist, historian and writer. Biography Andonian was born in Constantinople and was ethnic Armenian. There he edited the Armenian journals ''Luys'' (''Light'') and ''Dzaghik'' (''Fl ...

in 1908 there was the following ethnic distribution in the vilayet:Defeat in Detail: The Ottoman Army in the Balkans, 1912-1913; Edward J. Erickson; Greenwood Publishing Group, 2003; p.41
/ref> *Orthodox Bulgarians - 446,050 *Muslim

Turks Turk or Turks may refer to: Communities and ethnic groups * Turkish people, or the Turks, a Turkic ethnic group and nation * Turkish citizen, a citizen of the Republic of Turkey * Turkic peoples, a collection of ethnic groups who speak Turkic lang ...

- 333,440 *Orthodox Greeks - 168,500 *

Muslim Bulgarians The Muslim Bulgarians (, ''Bǎlgari-mohamedani'', as of recently also Българи-мюсюлмани, ''Bǎlgari-mjusjulmani'', locally called '' Pomak'', ''ahryan'', ''poganets'', ''marvak'', or '' poturnak'') are Bulgarians who follow the f ...

- 98,590 *Jews - 55,320 *Orthodox

- 24,970 *Muslim

- 22,200 *Mixed - 16,320

Governors

Mehmet Akif Pasha Mehmet Akif Pasha (1822–1893), also known as Arnavut Mehmet Akif Pasha (''Mehmet Akif Pasha the Albanian'') or Kalkandereli Mehmet Akif Pasha, was an Ottoman-Albanian statesman and governor in the Ottoman Empire. From 1860 to 1893, he was t ...

(June 1867 - February 1869) * Mehmed Sabri Pasha (February 1869 - September 1871) *

Kekimbashi Ismail Pasha Hekim Ismail Pasha (1807–1880; lit. ''Ismail Pasha the Physician'', also known as Ismail Hakkı Pasha) was an Ottoman physician and statesman. Biography Ismail Pasha was born to a Greek family from the island of Chios. He was sold as a slav ...

(September 1871 - May 1872) *

Hurshid Pasha Hurshid Ahmed Pasha (sometimes written Khurshid Ahmed Pasha; , ; died 30 November 1822) was an Ottoman- Georgian general, and Grand Vizier during the early 19th century. Early life He was born in the Caucasus and was of Georgian descent. He w ...

(May 1872 - August 1872) * Kücük Ömer Fevzi Pasha (1st time) (August 1872 - May 1873) *

(3rd time) (May 1873 - September 1873) *

Ahmed Midhat Sefik Pasha Ahmed Şefik Midhat Pasha (; 1822 – 26 April 1883) was an Ottoman Empire, Ottoman politician, reformist, and statesman. He was the author of the Constitution of the Ottoman Empire. Midhat was born in Istanbul and educated from a private . In ...

(October 1873 - February 1874) * Kücük Ömer Fevzi Pasha (2nd time) (February 1874 - September 1875) * Baytar Mehmed Refet Pasha (December 1875 - June 1876) *

Mustafa Esref Pasha Mustafa () is one of the names of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, and the name means "chosen, selected, appointed, preferred", used as an Arabic given name and surname. Mustafa is a common name in the Muslim world. Given name Moustafa * Moustafa Am ...

(June 1876 - April 1877) *

Cerkez Nusret Pasha Cerchez, Cherchez and Cerkez are Romanian words meaning " Circassian". The Circassians were a prominent minority in Northern Dobruja during the 19th century. This region now belongs to Romania. Cerchez, and its variations, may refer to: * Cerchez ...

(June 1877 - December 1877) *

Ibrahim Halil Pasha Ibrahim may refer to: * Ibrahim (name), including a list of people with the name ** Abraham in Islam * Ibrahim (surah), a surah of the Qur'an * ''Ibrahim'' (play) or ''Ibrahim The Illustrious Bassa'', a 1676 tragedy by Elkanah Settle, based on a ...

(December 1877 - July 1878) *

Halil Rifat Pasha Halil Rifat Pasha () ( Modern Turkish: ''Halil Rıfat Paşa''; 1820According to the obituary in The Times, he was born about 1807. This would make him almost 95 years old at the time of his death. Other sources give 1820.–9 November 1901) was ...

(July 1878 - March 1880) * Abidin Pasha (March 1880 - June 1880) * Lofçali Ibrahim Dervish Pasha (August 1880 - January 1882) * Ismail Hakki Pasha (March 1882 - September 1885) *

Hasan Hakki Pasha Hassan, Hasan, Hassane, Haasana, Hassaan, Asan, Hassun, Hasun, Hassen, Hasson or Hasani may refer to: People *Hassan (given name), Arabic given name and a list of people with that given name *Hassan (surname), Arabic, Jewish, Irish, and Scotti ...

(September 1885 - August 1886) *

Abdullah Galib Pasha Abdullah may refer to: * Abdullah (name), a list of people with the given name or surname * Abdullah, Kargı, Turkey, a village * ''Abdullah'' (film), a 1980 Bollywood film directed by Sanjay Khan * '' Abdullah: The Final Witness'', a 2015 Pakis ...

(August 1886 - August 1891) *

Mustafa Zihni Pasha Mustafa Zihni Pasha (1838–1911) was an Ottoman Kurd who held a number of influential Ottoman administrative posts. He was also a notable member of the Society for the Rise of Kurdistan. He was described by Barré de Lancy and Charles Woods ...

(October 1891 - November 1895) *

Hasan Fehmi Pasha Hasan Fehmi Pasha (1836–1910) was one of the leading Ottoman Diplomat, statesmen during the late Tanzimat period, who served in various governorships and juridical institutions. He was furthermore a member of the Senate of the Ottoman Empire, ...

(1st time) (1895) *

Ramazanoglu Hüseyin Riza Pasha The Ramadanid Emirate ( Modern Turkish: ''Ramazanoğulları Beyliği'') was a Turkish autonomous administration and a ''de facto'' independent emirate that existed from 1352 to 1608 in Cilicia, taking over the rule of the region from the Armeni ...

(January 1896 - January 1899) * Haci Hasan Refik Pasha (January 1899 - May 1901) *

Biren Mahmud Tevfik Beg 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 ...

(May 1901 - May 1902) *

(2nd time) (May 1902 - September 1904) *

Mehmed Sherif Ra'uf Pasha Mehmed Sherif Rauf Pasha (1838 – 1923) was an Ottoman Senate of the Ottoman Empire, senator and liberal politician during the Second Constitutional Era, who was a member of the Freedom and Accord Party. A fluent French speaker and strident refo ...

(September 1904 - August 1908) * Ali Danis Beg (August 1908 - September 1909) * Pirizade Ibrahim Hayrullah Bey (September 1909 - January 1912) * Kadri Huseyin Kazim Bey (January 1912 - 8 August 1912) *

Ali Ferid Pasha Ali ibn Abi Talib (; ) was the fourth Rashidun caliph who ruled from until Assassination of Ali, his assassination in 661, as well as the first imamate in Shia doctrine, Shia Imam. He was the cousin and son-in-law of the Islamic prophet Muha ...

(August 1912 - September 1912)

Notes

References

La Grande Encyclopédie ''La Grande Encyclopédie, inventaire raisonné des sciences, des lettres, et des arts'' (''The Great Encyclopedia: a systematic inventory of science, letters, and the arts'') is a 31-volume encyclopedia published in France from 1886 to 1902 by H. ...

, ''s.v.'' Salonique.

External links

* * {{Subdivisions of the Ottoman Empire, expanded = Vilayets Vilayets of the Ottoman Empire in Europe Macedonia under the Ottoman Empire Ottoman Thessalonica 1867 establishments in the Ottoman Empire 1912 disestablishments in the Ottoman Empire