Ottoman Insurance Document Union des Assurances de Paris 1920s İstanbul

Ottoman Insurance Document - İttihâd-ı Millî Türk Sigorta Şirketi, 1920s

Description:
An original insurance document issued by the İttihâd-ı Millî Türk Sigorta Şirketi, dating from the 1920s, written in Ottoman Turkish (Arabic script).

The company was founded in 1918 under the leadership of the French Union de Paris Insurance Company, and originally carried the name İttihâd-ı Millî Osmanlı Sigorta Şirketi. Its headquarters were located in the Union Han building, situated at Bankalar Caddesi No. 4, Bereketzade Mahallesi, Galata, Istanbul. This building, constructed in 1911 by Union de Paris, has long served as a central hub for insurance activities in the city.

As one of the earliest Turkish insurance companies, İttihâd-ı Millî Türk Sigorta Şirketi reflects the intersection of Ottoman modernization, foreign financial influence, and the emergence of a national insurance sector. Documents from this transitional period just before the Alphabet Reform of 1928 are rare survivals, preserving the use of Ottoman script in financial and corporate transactions.

Key Features:

• Type: Insurance company document

• Issuer: İttihâd-ı Millî Türk Sigorta Şirketi (Union de Paris-led Ottoman/Turkish insurance company)

• Date: 1920s (pre-1928 Alphabet Reform)

• Language: Ottoman Turkish (Arabic script)

• Location: Union Han, Bankalar Caddesi No. 4, Galata, Istanbul

• Historical Context: Founded 1918, continuing under French partnership; one of the earliest national insurance companies of Turkey

• Significance: Rare Ottoman-script financial document from Turkey’s early insurance history; illustrates the blend of foreign capital and local institutions in late Ottoman / early Republican economic life