Ottoman 1892 Land Deed Vineyard in Ankara Title Armenian Citizens Armenia

Ottoman Vineyard Title Deed from Ankara – Aktepe, Armenian Ownership (1892)

Description:

This original Ottoman title deed is dated 17 Shawwal 1309 (15 May 1892) and records the ownership of a vineyard located in the Aktepe area of Ankara. The deed identifies the property as consisting of a vineyard together with a one-and-a-half fifth ownership share of the trees growing on the land, reflecting the detailed manner in which agricultural assets were recorded in Ottoman land registers.

The legal status of the property is described as zemini arazi-i miriyeden, indicating that the land itself belonged to the Ottoman state (miri land), while the registered owner possessed hereditary rights of use and cultivation. This distinction represents one of the defining principles of the Ottoman land tenure system and makes the document particularly valuable for understanding nineteenth-century Ottoman property law.

The original holder is recorded as Hamalyan Karen? Ferat? (Yefrat) Ağa, an Ottoman Armenian subject. Due to the difficulty of reading Ottoman rika handwriting, the middle name may alternatively be read as Ferat or Yefrat. Following his death, ownership of the vineyard passed to his daughter, Sima, illustrating the inheritance of usufruct rights within an Ottoman Armenian family.

The recorded boundaries include the vineyards of Boyacıoğlu, Hamaloğlu Kirkor, Maraşlıoğlu, and Şemdikoğlu, together with a public road. The presence of several Armenian names among the neighboring landowners offers valuable evidence of the Armenian community in nineteenth-century Ankara and provides insight into the city's multicultural agricultural landscape.

The property is assessed at 1,450 kuruş and covers an area of 20 dönüm (atik measure), together with an additional 7 dönüm, 8 evlek, and 8 arşun (cedid measure). Bearing its original official seal, this deed is an important historical document illustrating Ottoman land administration, Armenian property ownership, and inheritance practices in central Anatolia.

Key Features:

• Type: Ottoman vineyard title deed

• Date: 17 Shawwal 1309 (15 May 1892)

• Location: Aktepe, Ankara

• Property Type: Vineyard with one-and-a-half fifth ownership share of the trees

• Legal Status (Nevi): Miri land (state-owned land with hereditary usufruct rights)

• Property Size (Mikdar): 20 dönüm (atik), plus 7 dönüm, 8 evlek, and 8 arşun (cedid)

• Boundaries (Hudud): Vineyards of Boyacıoğlu, Hamaloğlu Kirkor, Maraşlıoğlu, and Şemdikoğlu; public road

• Original Holder: Hamalyan Karen? Ferat? (Yefrat) Ağa (middle name uncertain due to Ottoman rika handwriting)

• Heir: Sima, daughter of the original holder

• Assessed Value (Kıymet): 1,450 kuruş

• Community Context: Documents Armenian landownership and inheritance in late Ottoman Ankara

• Historical Significance: Illustrates the Ottoman miri land system, agricultural property registration, and the multicultural character of nineteenth-century Ankara

• Physical Features: Original official seal

• Collectible Significance: A significant record of Ottoman land law, Armenian heritage, and provincial property ownership