Ottoman 1879 Property Sale Deed İstanbul Armenian and Muslim Citizens Armenia Jeweler

Ottoman Property Sale Deed on Revenue-Stamped Paper – Armenian Ownership in Üsküdar, Istanbul (1879)

Description:

This original Ottoman property sale deed is written on varaka-i maktua, an official fixed-fee revenue-stamped paper used by the Ottoman administration for legal and administrative transactions. Dated 11 September 1295 (11 September 1879), the document records the sale of a vineyard and a ruined mansion located at No. 8, Üç Pınar Street, Libadiye, Üsküdar, one of Istanbul's historic residential districts.

The property belonged to Nartuhi, an Ottoman Armenian woman identified as the widow of the late jeweler Kiyork. The document also records her father as Kirkor, providing valuable genealogical information alongside the legal transaction. The estate, measuring 315 zira, was sold for 10,000 kuruş to İbrahim Tevfik Efendi, a clerk employed by the Bab-ı Seraskeri (the Ottoman Ministry of War).

Beyond documenting a real estate transaction, this deed offers an important glimpse into the legal rights of Ottoman Armenian citizens and their participation in the empire's property market. It also illustrates commercial interaction between Muslim and non-Muslim Ottoman subjects, reflecting the multicultural character of late nineteenth-century Istanbul. Such documents are highly valued by collectors and researchers for the insight they provide into Ottoman urban life, Armenian family history, land ownership, and the legal framework governing property transfers.

The document is executed on official revenue-stamped paper bearing a printed face value of 1,000 kuruş and is further authenticated by multiple official seals together with a blind embossed stamp, enhancing both its legal significance and collectible appeal.

Key Features:

• Document Type: Ottoman property sale deed on varaka-i maktua (official revenue-stamped paper)

• Date: 11 September 1295 (11 September 1879)

• Language: Ottoman Turkish

• Location: No. 8, Üç Pınar Street, Libadiye, Üsküdar, Istanbul

• Property Type: Vineyard and ruined mansion

• Property Size: 315 zira

• Sale Price: 10,000 kuruş

• Revenue Paper Value: 1,000 kuruş

• Seller: Nartuhi, Ottoman Armenian, widow of the late jeweler Kiyork

• Seller's Father: Kirkor

• Buyer: İbrahim Tevfik Efendi, clerk of the Bab-ı Seraskeri (Ottoman Ministry of War)

• Community Context: Documents property ownership by an Ottoman Armenian woman and commercial relations between Muslim and non-Muslim Ottoman citizens

• Historical Significance: Valuable evidence of Armenian life, women's property rights, and urban real estate transactions in late Ottoman Istanbul

• Physical Features: Official revenue-stamped paper, multiple seals, and one blind embossed stamp

• Collectible Significance: A well-documented legal record illustrating Ottoman administration, Armenian heritage, and nineteenth-century Istanbul property ownership