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The Mutasarrifate of Jerusalem ( ota, مُتَصَرِّف قدسی مُتَصَرِّفلغ, ; ar, متصرفية القدس الشريف, ), also known as the Sanjak of Jerusalem, was an Ottoman district with special administrative status established in 1872.Büssow (2011), p
5
Abu-Manneh (1999), p
39
Jankowski & Gershoni (1997), p
174
The district encompassed
Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
as well as
Hebron Hebron ( ar, الخليل or ; he, חֶבְרוֹן ) is a Palestinian. city in the southern West Bank, south of Jerusalem. Nestled in the Judaean Mountains, it lies above sea level. The second-largest city in the West Bank (after Eas ...
,
Jaffa Jaffa, in Hebrew Yafo ( he, יָפוֹ, ) and in Arabic Yafa ( ar, يَافَا) and also called Japho or Joppa, the southern and oldest part of Tel Aviv-Yafo, is an ancient port city in Israel. Jaffa is known for its association with the b ...
, Gaza and
Beersheba Beersheba or Beer Sheva, officially Be'er-Sheva ( he, בְּאֵר שֶׁבַע, ''Bəʾēr Ševaʿ'', ; ar, بئر السبع, Biʾr as-Sabʿ, Well of the Oath or Well of the Seven), is the largest city in the Negev desert of southern Israel. ...
.Beshara (2012), pp
23
During the late Ottoman period, the Mutasarrifate of Jerusalem, together with the Sanjak of Nablus and Sanjak of Akka (Acre), formed the region that was commonly referred to as "Palestine".The 1915 ''Filastin Risalesi'' ("Palestine Document") is a country survey of the
VIII Corps 8th Corps, Eighth Corps, or VIII Corps may refer to: * VIII Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French army during the Napoleonic Wars *VIII Army Corps (German Confederation) * VIII Corps (German Empire), a unit of the Imperial German Army ...
of the Ottoman Army, which identified Palestine as a region including the sanjaqs of Akka (the Galilee), the Sanjaq of Nablus, and the Sanjaq of Jerusalem (Kudus Sherif), se
Ottoman Conceptions of Palestine-Part 2: Ethnography and Cartography, Salim Tamari
/ref> It was the 7th most heavily populated region of the Ottoman Empire's 36 provinces.Karpat (1985), p
210
The district was separated from Damascus Eyalet and placed directly under the Ottoman central government in
Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis (" ...
(now
Istanbul ) , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = 34000 to 34990 , area_code = +90 212 (European side) +90 216 (Asian side) , registration_plate = 34 , blank_name_sec2 = GeoTLD , blank_i ...
) in 1841, and formally created as an independent province in 1872 by
Grand Vizier Grand vizier ( fa, وزيرِ اعظم, vazîr-i aʾzam; ota, صدر اعظم, sadr-ı aʾzam; tr, sadrazam) was the title of the effective head of government of many sovereign states in the Islamic world. The office of Grand Vizier was first ...
Mahmud Nedim Pasha.Abu-Manneh (1999), p
38
Scholars provide a variety of reasons for the separation, including increased European interest in the region, and strengthening of the southern border of the Empire against the
Khedivate of Egypt The Khedivate of Egypt ( or , ; ota, خدیویت مصر ') was an autonomous tributary state of the Ottoman Empire, established and ruled by the Muhammad Ali Dynasty following the defeat and expulsion of Napoleon Bonaparte's forces which br ...
. Initially, the Mutasarrifate of Acre and Mutasarrifate of Nablus were combined with the province of Jerusalem, with the combined province being referred to in the register of the court of Jerusalem as the "Jerusalem
Eyalet Eyalets ( Ottoman Turkish: ایالت, , English: State), also known as beylerbeyliks or pashaliks, were a primary administrative division of the Ottoman Empire. From 1453 to the beginning of the nineteenth century the Ottoman local government ...
", and referred to by the British consul as creation of " Palestine into a separate eyalet". However, after less than two months, the sanjaks of Nablus and Acre were separated and added to the Vilayet of Beirut, leaving just the Mutasarrifate of Jerusalem.Büssow (2011), pp
41
��44.
In 1906, the Kaza of Nazareth was added to the Jerusalem Mutasarrifate, as an
exclave An enclave is a territory (or a small territory apart of a larger one) that is entirely surrounded by the territory of one other state or entity. Enclaves may also exist within territorial waters. ''Enclave'' is sometimes used improperly to deno ...
,Kark (1994), p
131
primarily in order to allow the issuance of a single tourist permit to Christian travellers.Büssow (2011), p
70
The area was conquered by the Allied Forces in 1917 during
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...
Powles & Wilkie (1922), p
167-168
and a military
Occupied Enemy Territory Administration The Occupied Enemy Territory Administration (OETA) was a joint British, French and Arab military administration over Levantine provinces of the former Ottoman Empire between 1917 and 1920, set up on 23 October 1917 following the Sinai and Pale ...
(OETA South) set up to replace the Ottoman administration.Macmunn & Falls, p
607
OETA South consisted of the Ottoman sanjaks of Jerusalem, Nablus and Acre. The military administration was replaced by a British civilian administration in 1920 and the area of OETA South was incorporated into the British Mandate of Palestine in 1923. The political status of the Mutasarrifate of Jerusalem was unique from other Ottoman provinces as it was under the direct authority of the Ottoman capital Constantinople. The inhabitants identified themselves primarily on religious terms, 84% being Muslim Arabs.El-Hasan (2010), p. 38. The district's villages were normally inhabited by farmers while its towns were populated by merchants, artisans, landowners and money-lenders. The elite consisted of the religious leadership, wealthy landlords and high-ranking civil servants.


History

In 1841, the district was separated from Damascus Eyalet and placed directly under Constantinople and formally created as an independent Mutasarrifate in 1872. Before 1872, the Mutasarrifate of Jerusalem was officially a ''
sanjak Sanjaks (liwāʾ) (plural form: alwiyāʾ) * Armenian: նահանգ (''nahang''; meaning "province") * Bulgarian: окръг (''okrǔg''; meaning "county", "province", or "region") * el, Διοίκησις (''dioikēsis'', meaning "province" ...
'' within the Syria Vilayet (created in 1864, following the
Tanzimat The Tanzimat (; ota, تنظيمات, translit=Tanzimāt, lit=Reorganization, ''see'' nizām) was a period of reform in the Ottoman Empire that began with the Gülhane Hatt-ı Şerif in 1839 and ended with the First Constitutional Era in 187 ...
reforms). The southern border of the Mutasarifate of Jerusalem was redrawn in 1906, at the instigation of the British, who were interested in safeguarding their imperial interests and in making the border as short and patrollable as possible.Gardus & Shmueli, eds. (1978–79), pp. 369–370. In the mid-19th century the inhabitants of Palestine identified themselves primarily in terms of religious affiliation. The population was 84% Muslim Arabs, 10% Christian Arabs, 5% Jewish, and 1%
Druze The Druze (; ar, دَرْزِيٌّ, ' or ', , ') are an Arabic-speaking esoteric ethnoreligious group from Western Asia who adhere to the Druze faith, an Abrahamic, monotheistic, syncretic, and ethnic religion based on the teachings of ...
Arabs. Towards the end of the 19th century, the idea that the region of Palestine or the Mutasarifate of Jerusalem formed a separate political entity became widespread among the district's educated Arab classes. In 1904, former Jerusalem official Najib Azuri formed in
Paris, France Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...
the ''Ligue de la Patrie Arabe'' ("Arab Fatherland League") whose goal was to free
Ottoman Syria Ottoman Syria ( ar, سوريا العثمانية) refers to divisions of the Ottoman Empire within the region of Syria, usually defined as being east of the Mediterranean Sea, west of the Euphrates River, north of the Arabian Desert and sout ...
and Iraq from Turkish domination. In 1908, Azuri proposed the elevation of the ''mutassarifate'' to the status of '' vilayet'' to the
Ottoman Parliament The General Assembly ( tr, Meclis-i Umumî (French romanization: "Medjliss Oumoumi" ) or ''Genel Parlamento''; french: Assemblée Générale) was the first attempt at representative democracy by the imperial government of the Ottoman Empire. Al ...
after the 1908
Young Turk Revolution The Young Turk Revolution (July 1908) was a constitutionalist revolution in the Ottoman Empire. The Committee of Union and Progress (CUP), an organization of the Young Turks movement, forced Sultan Abdul Hamid II to restore the Ottoman Consti ...
. The area was conquered by the Allied Forces in 1917 during the Palestine campaign of
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...
and a military
Occupied Enemy Territory Administration The Occupied Enemy Territory Administration (OETA) was a joint British, French and Arab military administration over Levantine provinces of the former Ottoman Empire between 1917 and 1920, set up on 23 October 1917 following the Sinai and Pale ...
(OETA South) set up to replace the Ottoman administration. OETA South consisted of the Ottoman sanjaks of Jerusalem, Nablus and Acre. The military administration was replaced by a British civilian administration in 1920 and the area of OETA South became the territory of the British Mandate of Palestine in 1923, with some border adjustments with Lebanon and Syria.


Boundaries

The division was bounded on the west by the Mediterranean, on the east by the River Jordan and the
Dead Sea The Dead Sea ( he, יַם הַמֶּלַח, ''Yam hamMelaḥ''; ar, اَلْبَحْرُ الْمَيْتُ, ''Āl-Baḥrū l-Maytū''), also known by other names, is a salt lake bordered by Jordan to the east and Israel and the West Ban ...
, on the north by a line from the mouth of the
river Auja The Yarkon River, also Yarqon River or Jarkon River ( he, נחל הירקון, ''Nahal HaYarkon'', ar, نهر العوجا, ''Nahr al-Auja''), is a river in central Israel. The source of the Yarkon ("Greenish" in Hebrew) is at Tel Afek (Ant ...
to the bridge over the Jordan near Jericho, and on the south by a line from midway between Gaza and
Arish ʻArish or el-ʻArīsh ( ar, العريش ' , ''Hrinokorura'') is the capital and largest city (with 164,830 inhabitants ) of the North Sinai Governorate of Egypt, as well as the largest city on the entire Sinai Peninsula, lying on the Medite ...
to
Aqaba Aqaba (, also ; ar, العقبة, al-ʿAqaba, al-ʿAgaba, ) is the only coastal city in Jordan and the largest and most populous city on the Gulf of Aqaba. Situated in southernmost Jordan, Aqaba is the administrative centre of the Aqaba Govern ...
.


Maps

Below are a series of contemporary Ottoman maps showing the "Quds Al-Sharif Sancağı" or "Quds Al-Sharif Mutasarrıflığı". The 1907 maps show the 1860 borders between Ottoman Syria and the
Khedivate of Egypt The Khedivate of Egypt ( or , ; ota, خدیویت مصر ') was an autonomous tributary state of the Ottoman Empire, established and ruled by the Muhammad Ali Dynasty following the defeat and expulsion of Napoleon Bonaparte's forces which br ...
, although the border was moved to the current Israel-Egypt border in 1906, and the area north of the
Negev Desert The Negev or Negeb (; he, הַנֶּגֶב, hanNegév; ar, ٱلنَّقَب, an-Naqab) is a desert and semidesert region of southern Israel. The region's largest city and administrative capital is Beersheba (pop. ), in the north. At its southe ...
is labelled "Filastin" (Palestine). Image:Ottoman map of the Mutasarrifate of Jerusalem, from 1882-83 (1300 AH).jpg, 1883 File:Mutasarrifate of Jerusalem in 1889.jpg, 1889 Image:1889 Modern Palestine, shewing Turkish provinces.jpg, 1889 Image:Ottoman Syria, 1893 map.jpg, 1893 Image:Map of the Jerusalem Sanjak.jpg, c.1900 Image:Jerusalem Sanjak — Memalik-i Mahruse-i Shahane-ye Mahsus Mukemmel ve Mufassal Atlas (1907).jpg, 1907 Image:Beirut Vilayet and Mount Lebanon Mutasarrifate — Memalik-i Mahruse-i Shahane-ye Mahsus Mukemmel ve Mufassal Atlas (1907).jpg, 1907 Image: 1913 Ottoman Geography Textbook Showing the Sanjak of Jerusalem and Palestine.jpeg, 1912-13


Administrative divisions

Administrative divisions of the Mutasarrifate (1872-1909): # Beersheba Kaza ( ota, قضا بءرالسبع; tr, Birüsseb' kazası; ar, قضاء بئر السبع), which included two sub-districts and a municipality: #* a-Hafir ( ota, ناحيه حفير; tr, Hafır nahiyesı; ar, ناحية عوجة الحفير), created in 1908 as a middle point between Beersheba and
Aqaba Aqaba (, also ; ar, العقبة, al-ʿAqaba, al-ʿAgaba, ) is the only coastal city in Jordan and the largest and most populous city on the Gulf of Aqaba. Situated in southernmost Jordan, Aqaba is the administrative centre of the Aqaba Govern ...
, close to the newly agreed border with SinaiKushner (2005), p
96
#* al-Mulayha, created in 1908 as a midway point between Hafir and Aqaba #*
Beersheba Beersheba or Beer Sheva, officially Be'er-Sheva ( he, בְּאֵר שֶׁבַע, ''Bəʾēr Ševaʿ'', ; ar, بئر السبع, Biʾr as-Sabʿ, Well of the Oath or Well of the Seven), is the largest city in the Negev desert of southern Israel. ...
( ota, بلدية بءرالسبع; tr, Birüsseb' belediyesı; ar, بلدية بئر السبع), created in 1901 # Gaza Kaza ( ota, قضا غزّه; tr, Gazze kazası ; ar, قضاء غزة), which included three sub-districts and a municipality: #*
Al-Faluja al-Faluja ( ar, الفالوجة) was a Palestinian Arab village in the British Mandate for Palestine, located 30 kilometers northeast of Gaza City. The village and the neighbouring village of Iraq al-Manshiyya formed part of the Faluja pocket ...
( ota, ناحيه فلوجه; tr, Felluce nahiyesı; ar, ناحية الفالوجة), created in 1903 #*
Khan Yunis Khan Yunis ( ar, خان يونس, also spelled Khan Younis or Khan Yunus; translation: ''Caravansary fJonah'') is a city in the southern Gaza Strip. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, Khan Yunis had a population of 142,6 ...
( ota, ناحيه خان يونس; tr, Hanyunus nahiyesı; ar, ناحية خان يونس), created in 1903 and became a municipality in 1917 #* al-Majdal ( ota, ... ناحيه; tr, Mücdel nahiyesı; ar, ناحية المجدل), created in 1880 #* Gaza ( ota, بلدية غزّه; tr, Gazze belediyesı ; ar, بلدية غزة), created in 1893 # Hebron Kaza ( ota, قضا خليل الرحمن; tr, Halilü'r Rahman kazası; ar, قضاء الخليل), which included two sub-districts and a municipality: #*
Bayt 'Itab Bayt ʿIṭāb ( ar, بيت عطاب) was a Palestinian Arab village located in the Jerusalem Subdistrict. The village is believed to have been inhabited since biblical times. An ancient tunnel which led to the village spring is associated with s ...
( ota, ناحيه بيت اعطاب; tr, Beyt-i a'tâb nahiyesı; ar, ناحية بيت عطاب), created in 1903 #* Bayt Jibrin ( ota, ناحيه بيت جبرين; tr, Beyt-i Cireyn nahiyesı; ar, ناحية بيت جبرين), created in 1903 #*
Hebron Hebron ( ar, الخليل or ; he, חֶבְרוֹן ) is a Palestinian. city in the southern West Bank, south of Jerusalem. Nestled in the Judaean Mountains, it lies above sea level. The second-largest city in the West Bank (after Eas ...
( ota, بلدية خليل الرحمن; tr, Halilü'r Rahman belediyesı; ar, بلدية الخليل), created in 1886 # Jaffa Kaza ( ota, قضا يافه; tr, Yafa kazası ; ar, قضاء يَافَا), which included two sub-districts and a municipality: #* Ni'lin ( ota, ناحيه نعلين; tr, Na’leyn nahiyesı; ar, ناحية نعلين), created in 1903 #*
Ramla Ramla or Ramle ( he, רַמְלָה, ''Ramlā''; ar, الرملة, ''ar-Ramleh'') is a city in the Central District of Israel. Today, Ramle is one of Israel's mixed cities, with both a significant Jewish and Arab populations. The city was f ...
( ota, ناحيه رمله; tr, Remle nahiyesı; ar, ناحية الرملة), created in 1880, became municipality before 1888 and re-established as sub-district in 1889 #*
Lydda Lod ( he, לוד, or fully vocalized ; ar, اللد, al-Lidd or ), also known as Lydda ( grc, Λύδδα), is a city southeast of Tel Aviv and northwest of Jerusalem in the Central District of Israel. It is situated between the lower Sheph ...
( ota, ... بلدية; tr, Lod belediyesı ; ar, ... بلدية) # Jerusalem Kaza ( ota, قضا قدس; tr, Kudüs-i Şerif kazası; ar, قضاء القدس الشريف), which included four sub-districts and two municipalities: #* Abwein ( ota, ... ناحيه; tr, Abaveyn nahiyesı; ar, ناحية عبوين), created in 1903; #*
Bethlehem Bethlehem (; ar, بيت لحم ; he, בֵּית לֶחֶם '' '') is a city in the central West Bank, Palestine, about south of Jerusalem. Its population is approximately 25,000,Amara, 1999p. 18.Brynen, 2000p. 202. and it is the capital ...
( ota, ناحيه بيت اللحم; tr, Beytü'l lahim nahiyesı; ar, ناحية بيت لحم), created in 1883 and became a municipality in 1894; #*
Ramallah Ramallah ( , ; ar, رام الله, , God's Height) is a Palestinian city in the central West Bank that serves as the ''de facto'' administrative capital of the State of Palestine. It is situated on the Judaean Mountains, north of Jerus ...
( ota, ناحيه رام الله; tr, Ramallah nahiyesı; ar, ناحية رام الله), created in 1903 and became a municipality in 1911, #* Saffa ( ota, ناحيه صفا; tr, Safa nahiyesı; ar, ناحية صفّا), #*
Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
( ota, بلدية قدس; tr, Kudüs-i Şerif belediyesı; ar, بلدية القدس الشريف), created in 1867 and #*
Beit Jala Beit Jala ( ar, ) is a Palestinian Christian town in the Bethlehem Governorate of the West Bank. Beit Jala is located 10 km south of Jerusalem, on the western side of the Hebron road, opposite Bethlehem, at altitude. In 2017, Beit Jala had ...
( ota, ... بلدية; tr, ... belediyesı; ar, بلدية بيت جالا), created in 1912. # Nazareth Kaza ( ota, قضا الْنَاصِرَة; tr, Nasra kazası; ar, قضاء الْنَاصِرَة), established 1906.


Mutasarrıfs of Jerusalem

The Mutasarrıfs of Jerusalem were appointed by the
Sublime Porte The Sublime Porte, also known as the Ottoman Porte or High Porte ( ota, باب عالی, Bāb-ı Ālī or ''Babıali'', from ar, باب, bāb, gate and , , ), was a synecdoche for the central government of the Ottoman Empire. History The name ...
to govern the district. They were usually experienced civil servants who spoke little or no Arabic, but knew a European language - most commonly French - in addition to
Ottoman Turkish Ottoman Turkish ( ota, لِسانِ عُثمانى, Lisân-ı Osmânî, ; tr, Osmanlı Türkçesi) was the standardized register of the Turkish language used by the citizens of the Ottoman Empire (14th to 20th centuries CE). It borrowed extens ...
.Kushner (July 1987).


Pre-separation from Damascus

* Sureyya Pasha 1857–63 * Izzet Pasha 1864–67 * Nazif Pasha 1867–69 * Kamil Pasha 1869–71 * Ali Bey 1871–72


Post-separation from Damascus

* Nazif Pasha (same as above) 1872–73 * Kamil Pasha (same as above) 1873–75 * Ali Bey (same as above) 1874–76 * Faik Bey 1876–77 * Mehmed Rauf Pasha 1877–89 * Resad Pasha 1889–90 *
Ibrahim Hakki Pasha Ibrahim Hakki Pasha ( tr, İbrahim Hakkı Paşa 1862–1918) was an Ottoman statesman, who served as Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire between 1910 and 1911. He served as Ottoman ambassador to Germany and to the Kingdom of Italy. Hakki Pasha ...
1890–97 * Mehmet Tevfik Biren 1897–01 * Mehmet Cavit Bey 1901–02 * Osman Kazim Bey 1902–04 * Ahmed Resid Bey 1904–06 * Ali Ekrem Bolayır 1906–08


Post-Young Turk Revolution

List of mutasarrıfs after the 1908
Young Turk Revolution The Young Turk Revolution (July 1908) was a constitutionalist revolution in the Ottoman Empire. The Committee of Union and Progress (CUP), an organization of the Young Turks movement, forced Sultan Abdul Hamid II to restore the Ottoman Consti ...
: * Subhi Bey 1908–09 * Nazim Bey 1909–10 * Azmi Bey 1910–11 * Cevdet Bey 1911–12 *
Mehdi Frashëri Mehdi bey Frashëri (28 February 1872 – 25 May 1963) was an Albanian intellectual and politician. He served as Prime Minister of Albania in the 1930s and as Chairman of the Provisional Administration Committee in the Albanian puppet governm ...
(Muhdi Bey) 1912 * Tahir Hayreddin Bey 1912–13 * Ahmed Macid Bey 1913–15


See also

*
Ottoman Syria Ottoman Syria ( ar, سوريا العثمانية) refers to divisions of the Ottoman Empire within the region of Syria, usually defined as being east of the Mediterranean Sea, west of the Euphrates River, north of the Arabian Desert and sout ...
*
History of Jerusalem During its long history, Jerusalem has been attacked 52 times, captured and recaptured 44 times, besieged 23 times, and destroyed twice.. According to Eric H. Cline's tally in Jerusalem Besieged. The oldest part of the city was settled in the ...
*
Mount Lebanon Mutasarrifate The Mount Lebanon Mutasarrifate (1861–1918, ar, مُتَصَرِّفِيَّة جَبَل لُبْنَان, translit=Mutasarrifiyyat Jabal Lubnān; ) was one of the Ottoman Empire's subdivisions following the Tanzimat reform. After 1861, ther ...
* Timeline of the name "Palestine"


Notes


References


Bibliography

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * {{coord missing, Asia Late modern history of Jerusalem 1872 establishments in Ottoman Syria 1917 disestablishments in the Ottoman Empire Land of Israel History of Jordan Ottoman Palestine
Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...