Ottoman Property Transfer Certificate 1913 Adana Armenian Citizen Armenia

Ottoman Property Transfer Certificate (Emlak ve Arazi Ferağ ve İntikal İlmuhaberi) – Adana, Şabaniye Quarter (1913)

Description:

This Ottoman document is an emlak ve arazi ferağ ve intikal ilmuhaberi, a mandatory preliminary certificate that had to be issued before an official title deed could be registered. Written in Ottoman Turkish, the document relates to the sale of a residential house located in Şabaniye Mahallesi, within the province of Adana. It is dated 18 Teşrin-i Sani 1329, corresponding to 1 December 1913. The recorded sale price is 750 kuruş, while the officially stated value (kıymet) of the property is 500 kuruş, indicating that the house was sold above its assessed value, a detail that provides insight into local market conditions at the time.

The sellers are listed as Aleksan and Takohi, heirs of Kifork, while the buyer is recorded as Kifork Oğlu Aleksan Famşalyan or Kamışlıyan (the surname reading is uncertain due to handwriting). All names are Armenian, making the document particularly important for the study of Armenian life and property ownership in early 20th-century Adana. It is likely that the property passed to siblings Aleksan and Takohi after their father Kifork’s death, and that Takohi subsequently sold her share to her brother. Bearing revenue stamps, seals, and handwritten signatures, this certificate is not only a legal record but also a vivid piece of social history, offering collectors and researchers a rare glimpse into inheritance practices, intra-family transactions, and the Armenian presence in Adana shortly before the First World War.

Key Features:

• Document Type: Emlak ve arazi ferağ ve intikal ilmuhaberi (pre-title property transfer certificate)

• Language: Ottoman Turkish

• Date: 18 Teşrin-i Sani 1329 (1 December 1913)

• Location: Adana – Şabaniye Mahallesi

• Property Type: Residential house

• Sale Price: 750 kuruş

• Assessed Value: 500 kuruş (sold above assessed value)

• Seller(s): Aleksan and Takohi, heirs of Kifork (Armenian)

• Buyer: Aleksan, son of Kifork (surname read as Famşalyan or Kamışlıyan – uncertain due to handwriting)

• Historical Significance: Reflects Armenian inheritance practices and intra-family property transfer in late Ottoman Adana

• Physical Characteristics: Revenue stamp, seals, and original signatures present

• Condition: Original period document with normal age-related wear; text, stamps, and seals remain legible