Mutasarrif or mutesarrif ( ota, متصرّف, tr, mutasarrıf) was the title used in the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

and places like post-Ottoman

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

for the governor of an administrative district. The Ottoman rank of mutasarrif was established as part of a 1864 reform, and its holder was appointed directly by the Sultan. The administrative district under his authority, the mutasarrifate (English for ), was officially called a () in Turkish or () in

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...

.Meyers (1905–1909)
Liwâ
A mutasarrif was subordinate to a wali or

governor-general Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy t ...

of a province, while being of superior rank to a

kaymakam Kaymakam, also known by many other romanizations, was a title used by various officials of the Ottoman Empire, including acting grand viziers, governors of provincial sanjaks, and administrators of district kazas. The title has been retained an ...

.Meyers (1905–1909)
Kaimakam

Etymology

Ottoman Turkish mutasarrıf is derived from the Arabic mutaṣarrif, meaning provincial governor.lexico.com
mutasarrif
Accessed 11 Feb 2022. Mutaṣarrif is the

active participle In linguistics, a participle () (from Latin ' a "sharing, partaking") is a nonfinite verb, nonfinite verb form that has some of the characteristics and functions of both verbs and adjectives. More narrowly, ''participle'' has been defined as "a wo ...

of taṣarrafa, meaning "to act without restriction", "have the right of disposing (over somebody or something)".

History

This administrative unit was sometimes independent (e.g.,

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 ...

or Cyprus) and sometimes was part of a

vilayet A vilayet ( ota, , "province"), also known by #Names, various other names, was a first-order administrative division of the later Ottoman Empire. It was introduced in the Vilayet Law of 21 January 1867, part of the Tanzimat reform movement init ...

(province), administered by a vali, and contained

nahiye A nāḥiyah ( ar, , plural ''nawāḥī'' ), also nahiya or nahia, is a regional or local type of administrative division that usually consists of a number of villages or sometimes smaller towns. In Tajikistan, it is a second-level division w ...

(communes), each administered by a

. This rank was established in 1864 against the new Law of Villayets instead of rank of mutesellim which was abolished in 1842. "This small political unit was governed by a non-Lebanese Ottoman Christian subject and given the protection of European powers. The religious communities of the district were represented by a council that dealt directly with the governor. This system provided peace and prosperity until its abolition." The mutassarifates of the Ottoman Empire included: * Mutasarrifate of Mount Lebanon (formed 1861) * Mutasarrifate of Jerusalem (formed 1872) * Mutasarrifate of Karak (formed 1894/5)Rogan, E.L. ''Frontiers of the State in the Late Ottoman Empire: Transjordan, 1850-1921''. Cambridge University Press. p55. * Mutasarrifate of Izmit

References

External links

Turkish explanation of the term
Ottoman titles Turkish words and phrases Subdivisions of the Ottoman Empire {{Ottoman-stub

Etymology

History

See also

References

External links