Ottoman Turkish Document on Emval-i Metruke Armenian Properties Armenia Balkans Adana

Ottoman Turkish Document on Emval-i Metruke – Transfer of Abandoned Armenian Properties to a Balkan Migrant Family (Adana, 1929)

Description:
An extraordinary Ottoman Turkish official document, dated January 13, 1929, issued only a few months after the Turkish Alphabet Reform of November 1, 1928. Although the new Latin script had already been legally adopted, this record is still written in the Arabic-based Ottoman alphabet, illustrating how state officials themselves had not yet fully transitioned to the new writing system.

The heading reads: “Verilen emvale aid cedveldir” (“Register of Allocated Properties”). The document was prepared by the Emval-i Metruke Commission, the special state authority handling abandoned Armenian properties following the 1915 Armenian deportations (tehcir). Properties left behind by deported Armenians were systematically reassigned, often to Muslim refugees from the Balkans.

This particular register concerns three separate properties in Adana, officially transferred to Raziye Hanım, the widow of Jandarma Lieutenant Ahmed Sadık Efendi, a migrant from Yanya (Ioannina). The document also contains a portrait photograph of Raziye Hanım, enhancing its uniqueness.

The properties recorded are:

1. Vineyard / field, 7 dönüms, Kara Enbiya (Adana) - formerly owned by Kiforkyan Bogos. Tapu number. 229–230, dated April 1912. Assessed at 12 lira 50 kuruş, revalued by the commission at 21 lira.

2. Vineyard / field, 160 dönüms, Kara Enbiya (Adana) - formerly belonging to Kohar, wife of Tailor Agop. Tapu number. 80–81, dated April 1903. Assessed at 48 lira 85 kuruş, revalued at 49 lira 50 kuruş.

3. Stone-built shop (kârgir dükkân), Sümbüllü Hospital Street (Adana) - formerly property of the Armenian Church Foundation.

At the bottom, the document states that these three properties were officially awarded by Decision No. 222, dated December 30, 1928, for a symbolic fee of 4.5 lira, and the title deeds were to be transferred to Raziye Hanım. The document bears an official seal of validation.

Key Features:

• Date: January 13, 1929 (post-Alphabet Reform, but still Ottoman script)

• Authority: Emval-i Metruke Commission

• Language: Ottoman Turkish (Arabic script)

• Beneficiary: Raziye Hanım, widow of Jandarma Lt. Ahmed Sadık Efendi (Yanya migrant)

• Former Owners: All properties were belong to Armenian Citizens. Kiforkyan Bogos; Kohar (wife of Terzi Agop); Armenian Church Foundation

• Properties: Two vineyards/fields and one stone-built shop, all in Adana

• Dimensions: Includes photograph of recipient; official seal present

• Historical Significance: A striking document illustrating the redistribution of confiscated Armenian properties to Muslim migrants, highlighting both the legacy of the 1915 Armenian deportations and the linguistic transition during the early Republic.