Ottoman Rental Contract of Lime Shop Kastamonu 1910 Muslim and Armenian Citizens Armenia

Ottoman Rental Contract - Kastamonu, 1910

Description:
An Ottoman Turkish rental contract dated 27 May 1326 (9 June 1910), concerning a shop property belonging to the İbn Sude Mescid-i Şerifi Foundation (Vakfı). The usage rights of the property were held by Saadetlü İbrahim Bey, the Director of the Kastamonu Provincial Waqf Administration (Evkaf Müdürü).

The document records the lease of a lime shop (kireçci dükkânı) located in the Kazancılar Bazaar of Kastamonu, rented for 95 kuruş per year for a three-year period to Hafız Mehmed Ali, a resident of Cemaleddin Mahallesi. The contract is stamped, signed, and features official Ottoman revenue stamps and embossing.

What makes this document particularly remarkable is the identity of the guarantor (kefil): an Armenian citizen named Giragos from Ak Mescid Mahallesi. This detail illustrates the coexistence, trust, and cooperation between Muslim and Armenian citizens in everyday Ottoman life, a reflection of the social and economic integration that characterized late Ottoman society.

Key Features:

• Type: Rental contract (lease document)

• Date: 27 May 1326 (9 June 1910)

• Location: Kastamonu, Kazancılar Bazaar

• Issued by: İbn Sude Mescid-i Şerifi Vakfı

• Authorized by: Kastamonu Evkaf Director Saadetlü İbrahim Bey

• Tenant: Hafız Mehmed Ali (Cemaleddin Mahallesi)

• Guarantor: Giragos (Armenian citizen, Ak Mescid Mahallesi)

• Rent: 95 kuruş annually, for 3 years

• Language: Ottoman Turkish

• Details: With stamps, signatures, and embossed seal

• Significance: A rare social document reflecting Muslim-Armenian cooperation and daily commercial interactions in the Ottoman Empire at the turn of the 20th century.