Ottoman 1864 Petition for the Reissuance of a Lost Title Deed İstanbul Rum Greek Citizen Greece
Ottoman Petition for the Reissuance of a Lost Title Deed – Bayrampaşa, Edirnekapı, Istanbul (1864)
Description:
This Ottoman Turkish document, titled "Mahallât-ı Kaydiye İlmühaberiyle Mürûriye İlmühaberi," bears a printed face value of 1 kuruş and is dated 29 Mayıs 1280 (10 June 1864). The document concerns a petition requesting the reissuance of a lost title deed for a field located in the Bayrampaşa area outside Edirnekapı, one of the historic outskirts of Istanbul.
According to the document, the property belonged to Anastas veled-i Nikola, an Ottoman Greek (Rum) citizen. The petition states that the original title deed for the field had been accidentally lost and therefore requests that a replacement title deed be issued. In addition, the document certifies that Anastas was alive and remained a loyal subject of the Ottoman Empire, information required as part of the official administrative process before a new title deed could be granted.
The petition was addressed to the Evkaf-ı Hümayun (Imperial Ministry of Pious Foundations), illustrating the role played by Ottoman administrative institutions in regulating property ownership and documenting legal claims. Documents of this nature provide valuable insight into the procedures followed when official land records were lost, demonstrating the sophistication of the Ottoman legal and cadastral system during the mid-nineteenth century.
Beyond its legal purpose, the document offers an important glimpse into the everyday life of Ottoman Istanbul more than 160 years ago. It preserves evidence of landownership by members of the city's Greek Orthodox (Rum) community and reflects the multicultural character of nineteenth-century Istanbul, where Muslim and non-Muslim Ottoman subjects alike participated in the empire's legal and administrative institutions.
Bearing its original official seals, this document is both an important legal record and a valuable historical artifact illustrating Ottoman property administration, urban history, and the presence of the Greek community in Istanbul during the Tanzimat period.
For collectors and researchers, this is an exceptional document connecting Ottoman land administration, Istanbul history, minority communities, and nineteenth-century legal practice.
Key Features:
• Type: Ottoman petition for the reissuance of a lost title deed
• Title: Mahallât-ı Kaydiye İlmühaberiyle Mürûriye İlmühaberi
• Date: 29 Mayıs 1280 (10 June 1864)
• Face Value: 1 kuruş
• Language: Ottoman Turkish
• Location: Bayrampaşa, outside Edirnekapı, Istanbul
• Property Type: Field (tarla)
• Property Owner: Anastas veled-i Nikola (Ottoman Greek/Rum citizen)
• Subject: Petition requesting a replacement title deed after the original was accidentally lost
• Administrative Authority: Addressed to the Evkaf-ı Hümayun (Imperial Ministry of Pious Foundations)
• Historical Context: Illustrates Ottoman procedures for replacing lost property deeds and documents the legal status of a Greek Orthodox (Rum) Ottoman citizen during the Tanzimat era
• Physical Features: Original official seals
• Collectible Significance: Highly desirable for collectors of Ottoman legal documents, Istanbul history, Greek (Rum) heritage, land administration, and nineteenth-century Ottoman ephemera