Ottoman Property Tax Receipt (Müsakkafât Vergisi Makbuzu) 1336 (1920)
Description:
An Ottoman property tax receipt (Müsakkafât Vergisi Makbuzu) issued in 1336 (1920), documenting a payment of 230 kuruş made by Araksi Hanım, the wife of Hacı Naşid and daughter of Karabet, an Armenian Ottoman citizen. The document pertains to a shop numbered 48, located in Bayazid Ağa, Aksaray (Istanbul), explicitly described as a “turşucu” (pickle shop). It includes official Ottoman stamps and signatures.
This receipt represents one of several known tax documents connected to the same Aksaray pickle shop, providing a rare and continuous record of Armenian business ownership in Istanbul during the late Ottoman period. The payment recorded here covers both property tax (müsakkafat) and other treasury obligations (maliye ödemesi), illustrating the taxpayer’s compliance with state fiscal requirements even during the final years of the Empire.
This document is an important piece of evidence for understanding the active participation of Armenian citizens in late Ottoman urban commercial life, especially in Aksaray, a district historically populated by Armenian and Greek merchants operating near the Yenikapı port and the Beyazıt–Aksaray trade axis.
Key Features:
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Date: 1336 (1920)
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Location: Bayazid Ağa, Aksaray (Istanbul)
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Shop number: 48 (pickle shop / turşucu dükkanı)
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Taxpayer: Araksi Hanım, wife of Hacı Naşid, daughter of Karabet (Armenian Ottoman citizen)
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Tax type: Müsakkafât Vergisi (property tax) and treasury payment (maliye ödemesi)
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Total amount: 230 kuruş
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Language: Ottoman Turkish
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Features: Hand-signed and stamped
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Historical significance:
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Documents Armenian female property ownership and tax payment in late Ottoman Istanbul.
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One of several receipts linked to the same Aksaray pickle shop, offering a rare multi-year record of commercial continuity.
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Reflects the fiscal integration of non-Muslim citizens and their active participation in the Ottoman economy.
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