Vilayets of the Ottoman Empire
Encyclopedia
The Vilayets of the Ottoman Empire were introduced with the promulgation of the "Vilayet Law" in 1864, as part of the administrative reforms
that were being enacted throughout the empire. The term vilayet is derived from Arabic wilayah
.
Unlike the previous eyalet
system, the 1864 law established a hierarchy of administrative units: the vilayet, liva
/sanjak
, kaza and village council, to which the 1871 Vilayet Law added the nabiye. The 1864 law also specified the responsibilities of the governor (wāli
) of the vilayet and their councils.
At the same time, the law left to the governors vast scope for independent action as well as responsibility, as part of a system intended to achieve a large degree of efficiency in ruling the provinces. The liva
s or sanjak
s were headed by a mutasarrif
, who was accountable to the wāli.
Tanzimat
The Tanzimât , meaning reorganization of the Ottoman Empire, was a period of reformation that began in 1839 and ended with the First Constitutional Era in 1876. The Tanzimât reform era was characterized by various attempts to modernize the Ottoman Empire, to secure its territorial integrity against...
that were being enacted throughout the empire. The term vilayet is derived from Arabic wilayah
Wilayah
A wilāyah or vilâyet , or vilayat in Urdu and Turkish, is an administrative division, usually translated as "province", rarely as "governorate". The word comes from the Arabic "w-l-y", "to govern": a wāli — "governor" — governs a wilayah, "that which is governed"...
.
Unlike the previous eyalet
Eyalet
Eyalets were a former primary administrative division of the Ottoman Empire. The term is sometimes translated province or government. Depending on the rank of their commander, they are also sometimes known as pashaliks, beylerbeyliks, and kapudanliks.From 1453 to the beginning of the nineteenth...
system, the 1864 law established a hierarchy of administrative units: the vilayet, liva
Liva
Liva is the first live album released by the Norwegian band Gåte, and was recorded on December 30, 2005 at Rockefeller Music Hall, Oslo, Norway.-Track listing:#"Knut Liten og Sylvelin"#"Kjærleik"#"Følgje"#"Venelite"#"Du som er ung"#"Stengd dør"...
/sanjak
Sanjak
Sanjaks were administrative divisions of the Ottoman Empire. Sanjak, and the variant spellings sandjak, sanjaq, and sinjaq, are English transliterations of the Turkish word sancak, meaning district, banner, or flag...
, kaza and village council, to which the 1871 Vilayet Law added the nabiye. The 1864 law also specified the responsibilities of the governor (wāli
Wali
Walī , is an Arabic word meaning "custodian", "protector", "sponsor", or authority as denoted by its definition "crown". "Wali" is someone who has "Walayah" over somebody else. For example, in Fiqh the father is wali of his children. In Islam, the phrase ولي الله walīyu 'llāh...
) of the vilayet and their councils.
At the same time, the law left to the governors vast scope for independent action as well as responsibility, as part of a system intended to achieve a large degree of efficiency in ruling the provinces. The liva
Liva
Liva is the first live album released by the Norwegian band Gåte, and was recorded on December 30, 2005 at Rockefeller Music Hall, Oslo, Norway.-Track listing:#"Knut Liten og Sylvelin"#"Kjærleik"#"Følgje"#"Venelite"#"Du som er ung"#"Stengd dør"...
s or sanjak
Sanjak
Sanjaks were administrative divisions of the Ottoman Empire. Sanjak, and the variant spellings sandjak, sanjaq, and sinjaq, are English transliterations of the Turkish word sancak, meaning district, banner, or flag...
s were headed by a mutasarrif
Mutasarrif
In the Ottoman Empire, a mutasarrıf was the governor of a district. This administrative unit sometimes independent and sometimes was part of a vilayet , administered by a wali, and contained nahiye , each administered by a kaymakam.-External links:*...
, who was accountable to the wāli.
Labelled Map
Vilayets of the Ottoman Empire in the year 1900:Vilayets and independent sanjaks in 1917
Vilayets and independent sanjaks in 1917:Vilayets
|
Independent Sanjaks
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