Ottoman 1918 Rental Contract of Shop İstanbul Grand Bazaar Armenian Citizens Armenia Surp Karabet Church

Ottoman Shop Rental Contract from the Grand Bazaar (Kapalıçarşı) – Nuruosmaniye, Istanbul (1918) Armenian Owner

Description:

This Ottoman Turkish rental contract is dated 15 Kanun-ı Evvel 1334 (15 December 1918) and concerns the lease of Shop No. 64 located on Çârşû-yı Kebîr Street in the Nûruosmâniye quarter of Istanbul. The term Çârşû-yı Kebîr refers to the famous Kapalıçarşı (Grand Bazaar), one of the oldest and largest covered marketplaces in the world. Originally established under Sultan Mehmed II shortly after the conquest of Constantinople, the Grand Bazaar has remained an active commercial center since the fifteenth century and represents one of the most important symbols of Ottoman urban and commercial life.

The property owner is identified as Sepon Efendi Toryan, an Ottoman Armenian citizen residing in Yenimahalle, Üsküdar, and serving among the administrative board members (heyet-i idâre azâları) of the historic Surp Karabet Armenian Church. Surp Karabet Church, one of Üsküdar’s longstanding Armenian Apostolic churches, is known to have existed prior to 1593. After being completely destroyed in the great Yenimahalle fire of 1887, it was rebuilt in masonry form in 1888 by imperial decree of Sultan Abdülhamid II. The document therefore also preserves valuable information concerning the Armenian institutional and religious community of late Ottoman Istanbul.

According to the contract, Sepon Efendi rented the shop to Lokantacı Mustafa Nâfi’ Efendi for a period of two years, with a monthly rent fixed at 160 kuruş. The agreement provides a valuable glimpse into everyday commercial relations between Muslim and Armenian Ottoman citizens during the immediate post-First World War period. Such documents illustrate the interconnected commercial life of Istanbul, where members of different religious communities participated together in trade, property rental, and urban economic activity.

The document bears original revenue stamps and signatures, while the presence of Armenian script alongside Ottoman Turkish writing adds further historical and visual interest. Beyond its legal function, the contract serves as an important social document reflecting the multicultural structure of Istanbul’s commercial world in the final years of the Ottoman Empire.

For collectors and researchers, this is an especially attractive piece connecting Ottoman commercial history, the Grand Bazaar, Armenian community life, and the urban daily life of early twentieth-century Istanbul.

Key Features:

• Type: Ottoman commercial rental contract

• Date: 15 Kanun-ı Evvel 1334 (15 December 1918)

• Location: Nûruosmâniye Quarter, Çârşû-yı Kebîr (Grand Bazaar), Istanbul

• Property: Shop No. 64

• Rental Period: Two years

• Monthly Rent: 160 kuruş

• Property Owner: Sepon Efendi Toryan, Ottoman Armenian citizen

• Institutional Affiliation: Administrative board member of Surp Karabet Armenian Church, Üsküdar

• Tenant: Lokantacı Mustafa Nâfi’ Efendi

• Historical Context: Documents commercial relations between Armenian and Muslim Ottoman citizens in the Grand Bazaar during the late Ottoman period

• Community Significance: Related to the historic Surp Karabet Armenian Church of Üsküdar

• Physical Features: Original revenue stamps, signatures, and Armenian script annotations

• Collectible Significance: Valuable for collectors of Ottoman commercial documents, Istanbul history, Grand Bazaar material, Armenian heritage, and multicultural urban history