Ottoman Property Tax Receipt 1905 Fatih Uzunçarşı İstanbul Mehmed Efendi

Ottoman Property Tax Receipt – Dersaadet (Istanbul) 1320 (1905)

Description:
An Ottoman property tax receipt titled “Dersaadet Emlak Vergisine Mahsustur”, issued on 21 Kanun-ı Sani 1320 (3 January 1905), recording the real estate tax payment of Mehmed Efendi bin Hüseyin Efendi that is, Mehmed Efendi, son of Hüseyin Efendi.

The tax covers multiple properties located in Bezir-i Cedid Mahallesi, on Nerdübanlı Cami-i Şerif Street, corresponding today to the Uzunçarşı area of Istanbul’s Eminönü district, one of the city’s oldest and busiest commercial zones. The receipt notes payment for buildings numbered 28, 30, 32, and 34, with a total of 2,170 kuruş paid. The document bears official stamps and seals, confirming its authenticity and the formal nature of the transaction.

This receipt represents a valuable example of early 20th-century urban taxation in Ottoman Istanbul, a time when the Eminönü–Uzunçarşı region served as a key financial and mercantile center for the empire. The presence of multiple properties under a single taxpayer indicates both urban property ownership and investment activity among Istanbul’s Ottoman elite. It also reflects the highly organized structure of municipal revenue collection, particularly within the capital, where every street and property was carefully documented for taxation purposes.

Key Features:

• Date: 21 Kanun-ı Sani 1320 (3 January 1905)

• Location: Bezir-i Cedid Mahallesi, Nerdübanlı Cami-i Şerif Street, now Uzunçarşı, Eminönü, Istanbul

• Property numbers: 28, 30, 32, 34

• Taxpayer: Mehmed Efendi bin Hüseyin Efendi

• Document type: Emlak Vergisi Makbuzu (Property Tax Receipt)

• Total amount paid: 2,170 kuruş

• Language: Ottoman Turkish

• Features: Official stamps and seals present

• Historical context:

  • Reflects the structured taxation and property registration system of late Ottoman Istanbul.

  • Provides insight into property ownership in the commercial heart of the city, the Uzunçarşı district.

  • A tangible record of the urban and economic activity in one of the Ottoman Empire’s most dynamic trade areas at the dawn of the 20th century.