Ottoman Tax Receipt 1915 Kastamonu Dest-i Şirinzade Family Property Land

Ottoman Tax Receipt (Vergi Tezkiresi) - Kastamonu Province 1331 (1915)

Description:
An Ottoman tax receipt dated 3 May 1331 (16 May 1915), issued to Dest-i Şirinzade Hilmi Bey and İsmet Hanım, notable members of one of Kastamonu’s most prominent families. The document records the payment of multiple taxes in four installments, specifically 125 kuruş 5 para for property (müsakkafât ve arsalar vergisi) and 123 kuruş 10 para for land (arazi vergisi), totaling 249 kuruş 15 para. The document bears an official Ottoman seal at the bottom.

This piece holds significant historical and local importance as it connects directly to the Dest-i Şirinzade (also known as Eligüzelzade) family, a lineage deeply rooted in Kastamonu’s socio-political history. Historical sources note that the Ottoman state relied on the cooperation of influential local families like the Dest-i Şirinzadeler for implementing Tanzimat reforms in the provinces. Members of this family served as mütesellims (tax officers) before the Tanzimat and later as council members, commissioners, and mining administrators in the reformed Ottoman bureaucracy.

Key Features:

• Date: 3 May 1331 (16 May 1915)
• Origin: Kastamonu Province
• Taxpayers: Dest-i Şirinzade Hilmi Bey and İsmet Hanım
• Tax types: Müsakkafât ve arsalar vergisi (property and land tax), Arazi vergisi (land tax)
• Total payment: 249 kuruş 15 para
• Payment plan: Four installments
• Language: Ottoman Turkish
• Document type: Tax receipt (vergi tezkiresi)
• Features: Official Ottoman seal present
• Historical significance: Illuminates Kastamonu’s local elite structure and the administrative integration of the Dest-i Şirinzade family, who played active roles in implementing Tanzimat reforms and shaping regional governance in the late Ottoman era.