Ottoman 1899 Land Deed Hay Storage in İstanbul Anbarlı Title Armenian Greek Citizens
Ottoman Title Deed from Anbarlı Village Hay Storage Plot Title Deed – Küçükçekmece, Istanbul (1899)
Description:
This Ottoman title deed is dated 23 March 1315 (4 April 1899) and concerns a hay storage plot (samanlık arsası) located in the İskele locality of Anbarlı Village, then within the Küçükçekmece district of Istanbul. Today, Anbarlı forms part of the Avcılar district of modern Istanbul. The document provides valuable insight into land ownership and property transactions in one of the rural coastal communities situated on the western outskirts of the Ottoman capital during the late nineteenth century.
The legal status of the property is recorded as sarf-ı mülk, indicating full private ownership under Ottoman law. The boundary description identifies the neighboring properties as follows: on the right, the property recorded in the owner's title deed; on the left, the land belonging to Meyhaneci Petro; while both the rear and the front border public roads. Such detailed boundary descriptions were an essential component of Ottoman land registration and provide important evidence for reconstructing the historical landscape of local communities.
The deed further records the chain of inheritance through which ownership of the property passed. Following the death of its former owner, Fotaki, son of Yorgi, two shares of the property were inherited by his son Kostaki, while one share passed to his daughter Evdoliye. The heirs subsequently appointed Yani, son of Hrisi, as their legal representative, authorizing him to sell the property on their behalf. The purchaser recorded in the deed is Andon, son of Yordan.
The document offers a remarkable glimpse into the multicultural social and economic life of late Ottoman Istanbul. It records a real estate transaction involving members of the empire's Greek Orthodox (Rum) and Armenian communities, illustrating the routine legal and commercial interactions that took place within the Ottoman land registration system. Such documents provide valuable evidence of the coexistence and shared economic life of Istanbul's diverse communities at the end of the nineteenth century.
The property is assessed at a value of 500, while the recorded sale price is 250, indicating that the land changed hands for a price below its official assessed value. Differences between assessed values and actual sale prices are occasionally encountered in Ottoman land records and may reflect private agreements or prevailing market conditions, although the document itself does not specify the reason for the difference.
For collectors and researchers, this is an outstanding historical document illustrating Ottoman inheritance law, property transfers through legal representatives, and the multicultural character of everyday life in the villages surrounding Istanbul during the late Ottoman period.
Key Features:
• Type: Ottoman title deed
• Date: 23 March 1315 (4 April 1899)
• Location: İskele locality, Anbarlı Village, Küçükçekmece, Istanbul (today part of Avcılar)
• Property Type: Hay storage plot (samanlık arsası)
• Legal Status (Nev-i): Sarf-ı mülk (full private ownership)
• Boundaries (Hudud): Right: property recorded in the owner's title deed; Left: land belonging to Meyhaneci Petro; Rear: public road; Front: public road
• Former Owner: Fotaki, son of Yorgi
• Inheritance: Two shares inherited by his son Kostaki and one share by his daughter Evdoliye
• Legal Representative: Yani, son of Hrisi, authorized to sell the property on behalf of the heirs
• Purchaser: Andon, son of Yordan
• Assessed Value (Kıymet): 500
• Sale Price (Bedel): 250
• Historical Context: Documents inheritance, legal representation in property transfers, and commercial interaction between members of the Greek Orthodox (Rum) and Armenian communities in late Ottoman Istanbul
• Collectible Significance: Valuable for collectors of Ottoman title deeds, Istanbul history, land registry records, multicultural Ottoman society, and Greek and Armenian heritage documents