Oka (measure)
Encyclopedia
The oka, okka, or oke was an Ottoman
measure of mass
, equal to 400 dirhem
s (Ottoman dram
s). Its value varied, but it was standardized in the late empire as 1.2829 kilogram
s. 'Oka' is the most usual spelling today; 'oke' was the usual contemporary English spelling; 'okka' is the modern Turkish spelling, and is usually used in academic work about the Ottoman Empire.
In Turkey
, the traditional unit is now called the eski okka 'old oka' or kara okka 'black okka'; the yeni okka 'new okka' is the kilogram.
In Greece
, the oka (οκά) was standardized at 1.282 kg
and remained in use until traditional units were abolished on March 31, 1959—the metric system
had been adopted in 1876, but the older units remained in use. In Cyprus
, the oka remained in use until the 1980s.
In Egypt
, the monetary oka weighted 1.23536 kg. In Tripolitania
, it weighed 1.2208 kg, equal to 2½ artals.
The oka was also used as a unit of volume
. In Wallachia
, it was 1.283 liter
s of liquid and 1.537 l of grain (dry measure
). In Greece, an oka of oil
was 1.280 kg.
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
measure of mass
Mass
Mass can be defined as a quantitive measure of the resistance an object has to change in its velocity.In physics, mass commonly refers to any of the following three properties of matter, which have been shown experimentally to be equivalent:...
, equal to 400 dirhem
Dirham
Dirham or dirhem is a unit of currency in several Arab or Berber nations, and formerly the related unit of mass in the Ottoman Empire and Persian states...
s (Ottoman dram
Dram (unit)
The dram was historically both a coin and a weight. Currently it is both a small mass in the Apothecaries' system of weights and a small unit of volume...
s). Its value varied, but it was standardized in the late empire as 1.2829 kilogram
Kilogram
The kilogram or kilogramme , also known as the kilo, is the base unit of mass in the International System of Units and is defined as being equal to the mass of the International Prototype Kilogram , which is almost exactly equal to the mass of one liter of water...
s. 'Oka' is the most usual spelling today; 'oke' was the usual contemporary English spelling; 'okka' is the modern Turkish spelling, and is usually used in academic work about the Ottoman Empire.
In Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, the traditional unit is now called the eski okka 'old oka' or kara okka 'black okka'; the yeni okka 'new okka' is the kilogram.
In Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, the oka (οκά) was standardized at 1.282 kg
Kilogram
The kilogram or kilogramme , also known as the kilo, is the base unit of mass in the International System of Units and is defined as being equal to the mass of the International Prototype Kilogram , which is almost exactly equal to the mass of one liter of water...
and remained in use until traditional units were abolished on March 31, 1959—the metric system
Si
Si, si, or SI may refer to :- Measurement, mathematics and science :* International System of Units , the modern international standard version of the metric system...
had been adopted in 1876, but the older units remained in use. In Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
, the oka remained in use until the 1980s.
In Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, the monetary oka weighted 1.23536 kg. In Tripolitania
Tripolitania
Tripolitania or Tripolitana is a historic region and former province of Libya.Tripolitania was a separate Italian colony from 1927 to 1934...
, it weighed 1.2208 kg, equal to 2½ artals.
The oka was also used as a unit of volume
Volume
Volume is the quantity of three-dimensional space enclosed by some closed boundary, for example, the space that a substance or shape occupies or contains....
. In Wallachia
Wallachia
Wallachia or Walachia is a historical and geographical region of Romania. It is situated north of the Danube and south of the Southern Carpathians...
, it was 1.283 liter
Litér
- External links :*...
s of liquid and 1.537 l of grain (dry measure
Dry measure
Dry measures are units of volume used to measure bulk commodities which are not gas or liquid. They are typically used in agriculture, agronomy, and commodity markets to measure grain, dried beans, and dried and fresh fruit ; formerly also salt pork and fish...
). In Greece, an oka of oil
Olive oil
Olive oil is an oil obtained from the olive , a traditional tree crop of the Mediterranean Basin. It is commonly used in cooking, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and soaps and as a fuel for traditional oil lamps...
was 1.280 kg.
General references
- A.D. Alderson and Fahir İz, The Concise Oxford Turkish Dictionary, 1959
- Γ. Μπαμπινιώτης (Babiniotis), Λεξικό της Νέας Ελληνικής Γλώσσας, Athens, 1998
- Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh EditionEncyclopædia Britannica Eleventh EditionThe Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition is a 29-volume reference work, an edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica. It was developed during the encyclopaedia's transition from a British to an American publication. Some of its articles were written by the best-known scholars of the time...
, 1911 - La Grande EncyclopédieLa Grande EncyclopédieLa Grande Encyclopédie, inventaire raisonné des sciences, des lettres, et des arts is a 31-volume encyclopedia published in France from 1886 to 1902 by H...
- Diran Kélékian, Dictionnaire Turc-Français, Constantinople: Imprimerie Mihran, 1911
- OED