Ottoman Feragat Deed for the Transfer of a Garden to a Divorced Wife Eğirdir Isparta
Feragat Deed for the Transfer of a Garden to a Divorced Wife – Eğirdir, Isparta
Description:
This Ottoman Turkish document is an official feragat senedi (deed of relinquishment), recording the voluntary transfer and donation of a two-dönüm garden by a man to his divorced wife, Hatice Hanım. The property was located at Başkoz Mevkii in Pavlu Nahiyesi, Eğirdir Kazası, within the Isparta Sanjak of Konya Province.
The document precisely describes the boundaries of the garden. One side was bordered by a stream, another side by another stream, one side by a road, and the remaining side by the field of Hüseyin Ağa. In the presence of the witnesses named in the document, the signatory declares that he has relinquished and donated the garden to his former wife, Hatice Hanım.
The deed explicitly states that following the transfer, the former husband would retain no rights or claims over the property and would have no further interference with it. It also records his obligation to appear before the relevant government authorities and provide his consent when the formal title transfer (tapu) was subsequently carried out. The document was therefore issued and delivered to Hatice Hanım as evidence of her rights to the property.
The document is particularly interesting for the study of women's property rights and family relations in the late Ottoman period. The fact that a divorced woman received a real estate property through a formal deed of relinquishment and donation demonstrates the legal recognition of women's ability to hold and acquire property independently. It also illustrates how private agreements concerning immovable property could be formally documented before witnesses and subsequently incorporated into the official title-registration process.
The witnesses named on the document include Sipahioğlu and Şallıoğlu Ahmed. Their presence provides an additional layer of authenticity to the transaction and reflects the importance of witnesses in documenting private property transfers. The name of the person who prepared the document appears in the lower section; however, due to the difficulty of reading the Ottoman handwritten text, his name cannot be identified with certainty.
Beyond its legal significance, the document provides valuable insight into rural landholding, property boundaries, marriage and divorce, and everyday legal practices in the Ottoman provinces. It is an especially interesting example of a private property transaction involving a woman in the late Ottoman legal and social environment.
Bearing its original revenue stamps and official seals, this feragat senedi is an attractive example of Ottoman property and family law documentation.
For collectors and researchers, this is a valuable historical document connecting Ottoman women's property rights, divorce, private land transactions, and the legal administration of rural property in the Isparta–Eğirdir region.
Key Features:
• Type: Ottoman feragat senedi (deed of relinquishment and donation)
• Location: Başkoz Mevkii, Pavlu Nahiyesi, Eğirdir Kazası, Isparta Sanjak, Konya Province
• Property: Garden
• Size: 2 dönüm
• Recipient: Hatice Hanım, the signatory's divorced wife
• Transaction: Voluntary relinquishment and donation of the garden to the former wife
• Boundaries: Stream, stream, road, and the field of Hüseyin Ağa
• Legal Provision: The donor declares that he retains no further rights or claims over the property and agrees to appear before the authorities and consent to the subsequent official title transfer
• Witnesses: Sipahioğlu and Şallıoğlu Ahmed
• Historical Context: Documents women's property rights, divorce-related property arrangements, private land transactions, and Ottoman legal practices concerning the transfer of immovable property
• Special Note: The name of the document's writer appears in Ottoman handwritten script but cannot be identified with certainty due to the difficulty of reading the handwriting
• Physical Features: Original revenue stamps and official seals
• Collectible Significance: Highly desirable for collectors of Ottoman legal documents, women's history, property records, divorce-related documents, and Ottoman provincial history.