Ottoman 1910 Land Deed House in Adana İcadiye Title Armenian Citizens Armenia

Ottoman House Title Deed of Kaprilyan Mikail Ağa – İcadiye District, Adana, 1910

Description:

This original Ottoman Turkish title deed documents a residential property in the İcadiye district of Adana, registered to Kaprilyan Mikail Ağa, an Armenian resident of the city. Dated August 1326 (approximately 1910), the document records the property as a house (hane) situated on land belonging to the independent properties of the Ramazanzâde religious foundation (vakıf). It is a valuable primary source for the study of property ownership and the Armenian community in late Ottoman Adana.

The deed provides detailed information about the property's boundaries and measurements. The boundaries are recorded as a shared courtyard and staircase to the east, a public road to the west, Hacı Ağsa's property to the north, and a shared courtyard to the south. The area is recorded using Ottoman land measurements, including zira-i atik and zira-i cedid, reflecting the measurement terminology used in Ottoman property administration. Such details offer insight into the layout of residential properties, shared spaces and neighbourhood relationships in the city.

A particularly significant aspect of this document is the reason given for its issuance. The deed states that the previous title document had been destroyed in a fire, a fact certified by an official neighbourhood headman's report. Accordingly, a replacement deed was issued under the relevant legislation without charging a fee because the original had been lost. This administrative note provides direct evidence of property-document loss caused by fire in Adana.

The document dates from the period following the devastating Adana events of April 1909, when extensive violence and fires caused serious destruction in the city. Historical accounts document widespread damage to residential neighbourhoods and other buildings during these events. Although the deed confirms that the previous title document was destroyed in a fire, it does not explicitly identify that fire as one connected with the events of April 1909. The possibility is historically relevant, but the precise connection cannot be established from the deed alone.

For collectors and researchers of Armenian history, Ottoman property records and the history of Adana, this document is a particularly meaningful archival piece. It combines the recorded ownership of an Armenian resident, detailed property boundaries, measurements and an official explanation for the loss of an earlier title deed. Together, these features make it a compelling source for exploring Armenian property ownership and the reconstruction of everyday administrative life in Adana during the final Ottoman years.

Key Features:

• Title: Ottoman House Title Deed of Kaprilyan Mikail Ağa – İcadiye District, Adana

• Document Type: Ottoman Residential Property Title Deed (Tapu)

• Property Owner: Kaprilyan Mikail Ağa

• Location: İcadiye District, Adana, Ottoman Empire

• Property Type: House (Hane)

• Land Status: Recorded among the independent properties of the Ramazanzâde Foundation (Vakıf)

• Property Boundaries: East – shared courtyard and staircase; West – public road; North – Hacı Ağsa's property; South – shared courtyard

• Recorded Measurements: 121 zira-i atik, 69 zira and 52 zira-i cedid, as recorded in the supplied transcription

• Reason for Issuance: Replacement deed issued after the original was destroyed in a fire, certified by a neighbourhood headman's report

• Fee Exemption: Issued without a fee under the applicable regulation concerning lost deeds

• Date: August 1326 (approximately August 1910)

• Language: Ottoman Turkish

• Documentary Features: Official stamps and seals

• Historical Significance: Documents Armenian property ownership, residential boundaries and the replacement of a lost title deed in Adana during the late Ottoman period

• Collectible Significance: An important documentary source for collectors of Ottoman land records, Armenian heritage, Adana history and the social and property history of the late Ottoman Empire