Ottoman 1968 Police Court (Divan-ı Zaptiye) Property Recovery Document Istanbul

Police Court (Divan-ı Zaptiye) Property Recovery Document – Istanbul (1868)

Description:

This Ottoman Turkish document is an official Police Court (Divan-ı Zaptiye) decision and property recovery record dated 27 Muharrem 1285 (20 May 1868). It relates to the investigation of a theft committed in Istanbul and documents the official recovery and return of stolen personal belongings through the Ottoman judicial system during the Tanzimat period.

According to the document, Esma Hatun, who was residing as a tenant in a room within the house of Mehmed Emin Efendi, the former deputy judge (kadı vekili) of Bozcaada, living near the Destgâhçılar district, reported the theft of personal belongings from her chest. The stolen property, valued at 1,500 kuruş, consisted of clothing and household textiles including shirts, undergarments, waistbands, embroidered handkerchiefs (çevre), printed headscarves , yemeni scarves, towels, and other personal effects.

The investigation determined that the stolen goods had been found in the room of Mehmed Emin Efendi at Yolgeçen Han. According to the official record, Mehmed Emin Efendi confessed both to the theft and to having taken possession of the property. Following this confession, the Divan-ı Zaptiye ordered that the recovered items first be officially registered with the Emanet Müdürlüğü (Judicial Property Office) before being returned to their lawful owner, Esma Hatun. The lower section of the document further records that the competent authorities subsequently completed the procedure and delivered the recovered property back to Esma Hatun.

The document offers a remarkable illustration of the functioning of the Ottoman criminal justice system during the Tanzimat era. It demonstrates the legal procedures followed in cases involving theft, including police investigation, judicial proceedings, official registration of recovered property, and restitution to the victim. Such documents provide valuable insight into everyday urban life, law enforcement, and the protection of private property in nineteenth-century Istanbul.

The Divan-ı Zaptiye was established during the Tanzimat reforms as a judicial and administrative body responsible for maintaining public order and adjudicating minor criminal matters. Documents issued by this institution are important historical sources illustrating the modernization of policing and judicial administration in the Ottoman Empire.

Bearing its original official seals, this document is an exceptional example of Ottoman legal administration and criminal procedure. It also preserves a rare inventory of everyday household belongings owned by an Ottoman woman, making it especially valuable for the study of daily life and material culture in nineteenth-century Istanbul.

For collectors and researchers, this is an outstanding historical document connecting Ottoman legal history, policing, women's social history, and the judicial reforms of the Tanzimat period.

Key Features:

• Type: Ottoman Police Court (Divan-ı Zaptiye) judicial document

• Date: 27 Muharrem 1285 (20 May 1868)

• Language: Ottoman Turkish

• Institution: Divan-ı Zaptiye (Ottoman Police Court)

• Location: Destgâhçılar district and Yolgeçen Han, Istanbul

• Victim: Esma Hatun

• Accused: Mehmed Emin Efendi, former deputy judge (kadı vekili) of Bozcaada

• Subject: Recovery and judicial return of stolen personal property

• Value of Stolen Goods: 1,500 kuruş

• Recovered Property: Shirts, undergarments, waistbands (uçkur), embroidered handkerchiefs (çevre), printed headscarves (yazma), yemeni scarves, towels, and other personal belongings

• Judicial Process: Property recovered following the accused's confession, registered with the Judicial Property Office (Emanet Müdürlüğü), and officially returned to Esma Hatun

• Historical Context: Documents Ottoman criminal procedure, police administration, and the protection of private property during the Tanzimat reforms

• Physical Features: Original official seals

• Collectible Significance: Highly desirable for collectors of Ottoman judicial documents, Tanzimat history, Istanbul history, women's history, and Ottoman legal administration