Ottoman 1916 Official Debt Document Bostancı Üsküdar İstanbul Home

Secured Debt Deed Against Real Estate – Bostancı, Üsküdar, Istanbul (1916)

Description:

This Ottoman Turkish document, titled "Müsakkafât ve Arazi Mukâbilinde Medâyine Muamelâtına Mahsus Sened-i Resmî" ("Official Deed for Debt Transactions Secured by Buildings and Land"), is an official secured debt deed dated 27 Kanunuevvel 1331 (9 January 1916). It records a private loan secured by real estate located in the Cisr-i Derbend area of Bostancı Mahallesi, Üsküdar, Istanbul, illustrating the legal framework governing private debt transactions in the late Ottoman Empire during the First World War.

The property offered as security consists of a residential house measuring 800 arşun and carrying an officially assessed value of 1,600 kuruş. The borrower is recorded as Sabiha Hanım, wife of Hasan Efendi, an Ottoman citizen. The lender is Tevfik Bey, Director of the Emniyet Sandığı.

According to the deed, Sabiha Hanım borrowed 10,000 kuruş from Tevfik Bey and agreed to repay the debt after one year together with interest calculated at an annual rate of nine percent. As security for the loan, she pledged the house described in the document. The agreement further stipulates that if she failed to repay the debt within the agreed period, Tevfik Bey would have the legal authority to sell the pledged property through a public auction (müzayede) in order to recover the outstanding amount. The document therefore records a private lending agreement secured by immovable property rather than an institutional loan, demonstrating one of the legal methods used to secure private debts in the late Ottoman Empire.

Beyond its financial significance, the document provides valuable evidence of women's legal capacity to enter into binding financial agreements under Ottoman law. As the named debtor, Sabiha Hanım personally undertook the repayment obligation and pledged her own property as collateral. Such documents illustrate the well-developed legal framework governing private credit, property rights, and debt enforcement in the Ottoman legal system.

The deed also offers insight into the role of the Emniyet Sandığı during the late Ottoman period. Although Tevfik Bey served as its director, this document records him acting as a private creditor rather than representing the institution itself. The agreement therefore reflects a personal financial transaction between two individuals that was formally secured through an official Ottoman legal instrument.

Bearing its original revenue stamps and official seals, this deed is an outstanding example of Ottoman financial and legal administration. It combines debt law, property registration, and collateral agreements within a single official document, making it an important source for the study of Ottoman legal and economic history.

For collectors and researchers, this is an exceptional historical document connecting Ottoman private law, secured debt transactions, women's property rights, and the urban history of Istanbul during the First World War.

Key Features:

• Type: Ottoman secured debt deed

• Title: Müsakkafât ve Arazi Mukâbilinde Medâyine Muamelâtına Mahsus Sened-i Resmî

• Date: 27 Kanunuevvel 1331 (9 January 1916)

• Location: Cisr-i Derbend locality, Bostancı Mahallesi, Üsküdar, Istanbul

• Property Type: Residential house

• Property Size: 800 arşun

• Assessed Value (Kıymet): 1,600 kuruş

• Borrower: Sabiha Hanım, wife of Hasan Efendi

• Creditor: Tevfik Bey

• Occupation of Creditor: Director of the Emniyet Sandığı

• Loan Amount: 10,000 kuruş

• Loan Terms: Repayable after one year with an annual interest rate of 9%

• Security: Residential house pledged as collateral for a private debt

• Default Clause: If the debt remained unpaid, the creditor was legally authorized to sell the pledged property through public auction in order to recover the outstanding amount

• Historical Context: Documents a private debt secured by real estate, illustrating Ottoman legal practices concerning collateral, debt enforcement, and women's property rights during the First World War

• Physical Features: Original revenue stamps and official seals

• Collectible Significance: Highly desirable for collectors of Ottoman legal documents, private debt contracts, financial history, women's legal history, Istanbul property records, and Ottoman administrative ephemera