Ottoman Rental Contract of Home İstanbul 1920 Greek and Armenian Citizens Armenia

Ottoman Rental Contract - Kadıköy, İstanbul (1920)

Description:
An Ottoman Turkish rental contract dated 14 Teşrin-i Sani 1336 (14 November 1920), concerning the lease of an apartment located in Kadıköy, Cafer Ağa Mahallesi, Moda Caddesi, Papazoğlu Street, No. 16, Apartment 3.

The property owner is listed as Kirkor Eshariyan (or Asharyan) an Armenian Ottoman citizen, while the tenant is Doctor Vasilaki Efendi, whose nationality is recorded as Greek. The contract thus provides a vivid example of the multi-ethnic and multicultural social fabric of early 20th-century Istanbul, where Armenians, Greeks, and Turks lived and worked together in the same neighborhoods.

The contract was valid from 14 November 1920 to 14 May 1922 and includes Ottoman revenue stamps, official seals, and handwritten signatures. It was issued just a few years before the alphabet reform, so it is written in Ottoman Turkish using Arabic script.

This document stands out as a remarkable testament to Istanbul’s cosmopolitan urban life during the late Ottoman and early Republican transitional period, showing everyday cooperation between different ethnic and religious communities.

Key Features:

• Type: Rental contract (residential lease)

• Date: 14 Teşrin-i Sani 1336 – 14 Mayıs 1338 (14 Nov 1920 – 14 May 1922)

• Location: Kadıköy, Cafer Ağa Mah., Moda Caddesi, Papazoğlu Sk. No:16, Apt:3

• Property Owner: Kirkor Eshariyan / Asharyan, Armenian Ottoman citizen

• Tenant: Dr. Vasilaki Efendi, Greek nationality

• Language: Ottoman Turkish (Arabic script)

• Features: Official stamps, seals, and signatures

• Significance: A rare and historically rich document illustrating the multicultural daily life of Istanbul, where Armenian and Greek residents engaged in formal legal and commercial transactions under Ottoman administration.