The Vilayet of Aidin or Aydin (, ) also known as Vilayet of Smyrna or İzmir after its administrative centre, was a first-level administrative division (
vilayet
A vilayet (, "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 initiated b ...
) of the
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...
in the south-west of
Asia Minor
Anatolia (), also known as Asia Minor, is a peninsula in West Asia that makes up the majority of the land area of Turkey. It is the westernmost protrusion of Asia and is geographically bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the south, the Aegean ...
, including the ancient regions of
Lydia
Lydia (; ) was an Iron Age Monarchy, kingdom situated in western Anatolia, in modern-day Turkey. Later, it became an important province of the Achaemenid Empire and then the Roman Empire. Its capital was Sardis.
At some point before 800 BC, ...
,
Ionia
Ionia ( ) was an ancient region encompassing the central part of the western coast of Anatolia. It consisted of the northernmost territories of the Ionian League of Greek settlements. Never a unified state, it was named after the Ionians who ...
,
Caria
Caria (; from Greek language, Greek: Καρία, ''Karia''; ) was a region of western Anatolia extending along the coast from mid-Ionia (Mycale) south to Lycia and east to Phrygia. The Carians were described by Herodotus as being Anatolian main ...
and western
Lycia
Lycia (; Lycian: 𐊗𐊕𐊐𐊎𐊆𐊖 ''Trm̃mis''; , ; ) was a historical region in Anatolia from 15–14th centuries BC (as Lukka) to 546 BC. It bordered the Mediterranean Sea in what is today the provinces of Antalya and Muğ ...
. It was described by the 1911 ''
Encyclopædia Britannica
The is a general knowledge, general-knowledge English-language encyclopaedia. It has been published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. since 1768, although the company has changed ownership seven times. The 2010 version of the 15th edition, ...
'' as the "richest and most productive province of Asiatic Turkey".
At the beginning of the 20th century, Aidin Vilayet reportedly had an area of , while the preliminary results of the first Ottoman census of 1885 (published in 1908) gave the population as 1,390,783.Asia by
A. H. Keane
Augustus Henry Keane (1833–1912) was an Irish Roman Catholic journalist and linguist, known for his ethnological writings.
Early life
He was born in Cork, Ireland.George Grant MacCurdy, James Mooney and A. B. Legía - Antonio Flores, ''Anthro ...
, p. 459 The stated accuracy of the population figures ranges from "approximate" to "merely conjectural" depending on the region from which they were gathered. As of 1920, the vilayet had an "exceptionally large" Christian population.
Economy
The British described Aidin Vilayet as having a "remarkable variety of agriculture", as of 1920. They produced grains and cotton, specifically in
Aydın
Aydın ( ''EYE-din''; ; formerly named ''Güzelhisar; Greek: Τράλλεις)'' is a city in and the seat of Aydın Province in Turkey's Aegean Region. The city is located at the heart of the lower valley of Büyük Menderes River (ancient ...
and
Nazilli
Nazilli is municipality and district of Aydın Province, Turkey. Its area is 691 km2, and its population is 162,737 (2022). It is the second-largest city in Aydın Province, after the city of Aydın. It is east of Aydın, on the road to D ...
. The region also produced
opium
Opium (also known as poppy tears, or Lachryma papaveris) is the dried latex obtained from the seed Capsule (fruit), capsules of the opium poppy ''Papaver somniferum''. Approximately 12 percent of opium is made up of the analgesic alkaloid mor ...
,
tobacco
Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...
, and
valonia oak
''Quercus ithaburensis'' subsp. ''macrolepis'', the Valonia oak, is a subspecies of '' Quercus ithaburensis'', a member of the beech family, Fagaceae. It may also be treated as a separate species, ''Quercus macrolepis''.
Taxonomy
The Valonia ...
. Fruit was one of the most popular exports, with
fig
The fig is the edible fruit of ''Ficus carica'', a species of tree or shrub in the flowering plant family Moraceae, native to the Mediterranean region, together with western and southern Asia. It has been cultivated since ancient times and i ...
s and
grape
A grape is a fruit, botanically a berry, of the deciduous woody vines of the flowering plant genus ''Vitis''. Grapes are a non- climacteric type of fruit, generally occurring in clusters.
The cultivation of grapes began approximately 8,0 ...
s being popular. Before
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, fig production was up, with an expansive increase in production and exportation via railway. Grapes were used to produce
raisin
A raisin is a Dried fruit, dried grape. Raisins are produced in many regions of the world and may be eaten raw or used in cooking, baking, and brewing. In the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, Ireland, New Zealand, Australia and South Afri ...
s and
licorice
Liquorice (Commonwealth English) or licorice (American English; see spelling differences; ) is the common name of ''Glycyrrhiza glabra'', a flowering plant of the bean family Fabaceae, from the root of which a sweet, aromatic flavouring is ...
was also produced in the region. It was noted as growing wild along the
Büyük Menderes River
The Büyük Menderes River ("Great Meander", historically the Maeander or Meander, from Ancient Greek: Μαίανδρος, ''Maíandros''; ), is a river in southwestern Turkey. It rises in west central Turkey near Dinar before flowing west thr ...
. It was exported to the United States and United Kingdom.
Aidin, as of 1920, was considered to be the world's supply center for emery, specifically in the areas between
Tire
A tire (North American English) or tyre (Commonwealth English) is a ring-shaped component that surrounds a Rim (wheel), wheel's rim to transfer a vehicle's load from the axle through the wheel to the ground and to provide Traction (engineeri ...
and
Söke
Söke is a municipality and district of Aydın Province, Turkey. Its area is 1,064 km2, and its population is 123,301 (2022). It is the largest district of Aydın Province by area. Söke is 54 km (34 miles) south-west of the city of Ayd� ...
. In the early 20th century, Aidin was also noted for large deposits of
chromium
Chromium is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Cr and atomic number 24. It is the first element in Group 6 element, group 6. It is a steely-grey, Luster (mineralogy), lustrous, hard, and brittle transition metal.
Chromium ...
, specifically near
Mount Olympus
Mount Olympus (, , ) is an extensive massif near the Thermaic Gulf of the Aegean Sea, located on the border between Thessaly and Macedonia (Greece), Macedonia, between the regional units of Larissa (regional unit), Larissa and Pieria (regional ...
and in the southwestern region of the vilayet.
Antimony
Antimony is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol Sb () and atomic number 51. A lustrous grey metal or metalloid, it is found in nature mainly as the sulfide mineral stibnite (). Antimony compounds have been known since ancient t ...
Carpet
A carpet is a textile floor covering typically consisting of an upper layer of Pile (textile), pile attached to a backing. The pile was traditionally made from wool, but since the 20th century synthetic fiber, synthetic fibres such as polyprop ...
was manufactured in Vilayet, mainly in Smyrna, but with carpet being made throughout the region, including in Kula,
Uşak
Uşak () is a city in the interior part of the Aegean Region of Turkey. It is the seat of Uşak Province and Uşak District.Gördes
Gördes is a municipality and district of Manisa Province, Turkey. Its area is 902 km2, and its population is 26,458 (2022). The town lies at an elevation of .
History
Gördes has been held by the Persians, Macedonians, Roman and Byzantine ...
and
Isparta
Isparta is a city in western Turkey. It is the seat of Isparta Province and Isparta District.İl ...
. After World War I, sales declined, however, Britain remained a major importer of
Turkish carpet
Anatolian rug or Turkish carpet ( Turkish: ''Türk Halısı'') is a term of convenience, commonly used today to denote rugs and carpets woven in Anatolia and its adjacent regions. Geographically, its area of production can be compared to the terr ...
s from Aidin. Carpets were mainly produced by women.
Environment
As of 1920, the region was noted as having 6,000 square kilometers of forest. The west and southwest had the most thickly forested areas. The British described Makri as being "rich in excellent timber." Cedars were found in Makri, with oak and pine throughout the vilayet. In the early 20th-century,
deforestation
Deforestation or forest clearance is the removal and destruction of a forest or stand of trees from land that is then converted to non-forest use. Deforestation can involve conversion of forest land to farms, ranches, or urban use. Ab ...
had begun via private companies of the vilayet.
Sawmill
A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logging, logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes ...
s had been erected, with Makri having its own steam-run sawmill. Most trees were felled by hand at this time.
Tavas
Tavas is a municipality and district of Denizli Province, Turkey. Its area is 1,432 km2, and its population is 41,712 (2022). It is on a wide plain on the road to Muğla, near to the district of Kale (and often the two are linked in one brea ...
Hussein Avni Pasha
Hussein, Hossein, Hussain, Hossain, Huseyn, Husayn, Husein, Hussin, Hoessein, Houcine, Hocine or Husain (; ), coming from the triconsonantal root Ḥ-S-N (), is an Arabic name which is the diminutive of Hassan, meaning "good", "handsome" or ...
Hamdi Pasha
Ahmed Hamdi Pasha was a Kurdish Ottoman minister of the Marine, Secretary General of the Society for the Elevation of Kurdistan from 1918-1920 and a General officer of the Ottoman Army.
A graduate of the Ottoman Military College, he rose to the ...
Midhat Pasha
Ahmed Şefik Midhat Pasha (; 1822 – 26 April 1883) was an Ottoman politician, reformist, and statesman. He was the author of the Constitution of the Ottoman Empire.
Midhat was born in Istanbul and educated from a private . In July 1872, he ...
Kâmil Pasha
Mehmed Kâmil Pasha (; , "Mehmed Kâmil Pasha the Cypriot"), also spelled as Kâmil Pasha (1833 – 14 November 1913), was an Ottoman Anglophile statesman and liberal politician of Turkish Cypriot origin in the late-19th-century and early-20th ...
Halil Rifat Pasha
Halil Rifat Pasha () ( Modern Turkish: ''Halil Rıfat Paşa''; 1820According to the obituary in The Times, he was born about 1807. This would make him almost 95 years old at the time of his death. Other sources give 1820.–9 November 1901) was ...
Halil Rifat Pasha
Halil Rifat Pasha () ( Modern Turkish: ''Halil Rıfat Paşa''; 1820According to the obituary in The Times, he was born about 1807. This would make him almost 95 years old at the time of his death. Other sources give 1820.–9 November 1901) was ...
Kâmil Pasha
Mehmed Kâmil Pasha (; , "Mehmed Kâmil Pasha the Cypriot"), also spelled as Kâmil Pasha (1833 – 14 November 1913), was an Ottoman Anglophile statesman and liberal politician of Turkish Cypriot origin in the late-19th-century and early-20th ...
Mehmed Ferid Pasha
Mehmed Ferid Pasha () (, ; 1851, Yanya, Ottoman Empire (modern-day Ioannina, Greece) – 1914, Sanremo, Kingdom of Italy) was an Ottoman-Albanian statesman. He served as the Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire from 15 January 1903 until 22 July ...
Rahmi Arslan
Mustafa Rahmi Arslan (1874–1947) was a Turkish politician, who was a prominent member of the Committee of Union and Progress (CUP).
During the Late Ottoman genocides, Rahmi Bey went to significant lengths to protect the Christian and Europe ...
(1913-1917)
*
Hasan Tahsin Uzer
Hasan Tahsin Uzer (27 August 1878 – 5 December 1939; surnamed Uzer after 1934) was an Ottoman and later Turkish bureaucrat and politician. Throughout his career as a politician, Tahsin served as a governor to several Ottoman cities including Ay ...
Nureddin Pasha
Nureddin Ibrahim Pasha (; 1873 – 18 February 1932), known as Nureddin İbrahim Konyar Surname Law (Turkey), from 1934, was a Turkish people, Turkish military officer who served in the Ottoman Army (1861–1922), Ottoman Army during World Wa ...
Before 1914, the vilayet was subdivided into:A handbook of Asia Minor Published 1919 by Naval staff, Intelligence dept. in London. Page 215
# Smyrna Sanjak, subdivided into the kazas of Smyrna (
İzmir
İzmir is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, third most populous city in Turkey, after Istanbul and Ankara. It is on the Aegean Sea, Aegean coast of Anatolia, and is the capital of İzmir Province. In 2024, the city of İzmir had ...
Karaburun
Karaburun (, Achirlí) is a municipality and Districts of Turkey, district of İzmir Province, in western Turkey. Its area is 421 km2, and its population is 12,200 (2022). The district area roughly corresponds to the peninsula of the same nam ...
,
Kuşadası
Kuşadası () is a municipality and district of Aydın Province, Turkey. Its area is 265 km2, and its population is 130,835 (2022). It is a large resort town on the Aegean coast. Kuşadası is south of İzmir, and about west of Aydın. T ...
,
Çeşme
Çeşme, officially the Çeşme Municipality, is a municipality and Districts of Turkey, district of İzmir Province, Turkey. Its area is 285 km2, and its population is 48,924 (2022). It sits at Turkey's westernmost end, on a promontory on t ...
,
Ödemiş
Ödemiş () is a municipality and district of İzmir Province, Turkey. Its area is 1,019 km2, and its population is 132,740 (2022). It is located 113 km southeast of the city of İzmir.
About 4 km north of Ödemiş town are the ru ...
Foça
Foça is a municipality and Districts of Turkey, district of İzmir Province, Turkey. Its area is 251 km2, and its population is 34,946 (2022). The town of Foça is situated at about northwest of İzmir's city center on the Aegean Sea, Aege ...
,
Bayındır
Bayındır is a municipality and Districts of Turkey, district of İzmir Province, Turkey. Its area is 548 km2, and its population is 40,073 (2022). The central town of the district is situated in the valley of the Küçük Menderes.
History ...
,
Menemen
Menemen () is a municipality and district of İzmir Province, Turkey. Its area is 573 km2, and its population is 200,904 (2022). The district extends on a fertile plain formed by the alluvial soil carried by the Gediz River. Adjacent distric ...
,
Bergama
Bergama is a municipality and district of İzmir Province, Turkey. Its area is 1,544 km2, and its population is 105,754 (2022). By excluding İzmir's metropolitan area, it is one of the prominent districts of the province in terms of populatio ...
,
Seferihisar
Seferihisar is a municipality and district of İzmir Province, Turkey. Its area is 375 km2, and its population is 60,914 (2024). Seferihisar district area borders on other İzmir districts of Urla to the west and Menderes to the east, and t ...
and
Tire
A tire (North American English) or tyre (Commonwealth English) is a ring-shaped component that surrounds a Rim (wheel), wheel's rim to transfer a vehicle's load from the axle through the wheel to the ground and to provide Traction (engineeri ...
Manisa
Manisa () is a city in Turkey's Aegean Region and the administrative seat of Manisa Province, lying approximately 40 km northeast of the major city of İzmir. The city forms the urban part of the districts Şehzadeler and Yunusemre, with ...
,
Alaşehir
Alaşehir () is a municipality and district of Manisa Province, Turkey. Its area is 971 km2, and its population is 104,717 (2022). It is situated in the valley of the Kuzuçay ( Cogamus in antiquity), at the foot of the Bozdağ Mountain ( Moun ...
Akhisar
Akhisar () is a municipality and district of Manisa Province, Turkey. Its area is 1,645 km2, and its population is 177,419 (2022). It is the site of the ancient city of Thyatira.
With archaeological findings that are proving settlements go ...
,
Salihli
Salihli is a municipality and district of Manisa Province, Turkey. Its area is 1,359 km2, and its population is 165,182 (2023). The ancient Lydian capitals of Sardes and Daldis are located within Salihli.
Geography
The city of Salihli, whic ...
,
Gördes
Gördes is a municipality and district of Manisa Province, Turkey. Its area is 902 km2, and its population is 26,458 (2022). The town lies at an elevation of .
History
Gördes has been held by the Persians, Macedonians, Roman and Byzantine ...
,
Demirci
Demirci is a municipality and district of Manisa Province, Turkey. Its area is 1,321 km2, and its population is 36,620 (2022). The town lies at an elevation of .
History
From 1867 until 1922, Demirci was part of the Aidin Vilayet of the Ott ...
,
Eşme
Eşme is a town in Uşak Province in the inner Aegean Region of Turkey. It is the seat of Eşme District.Kırkağaç,
Soma
Soma may refer to:
Businesses and brands
* SOMA (architects), a New York–based firm of architects
* Soma (company), a company that designs eco-friendly water filtration systems
* SOMA Fabrications, a builder of bicycle frames and other bicycle ...
and Kasaba (
Turgutlu
Turgutlu, also known as Kasamba (''Cassaba'' or ''Casaba'') is a municipality and district of Manisa Province, Turkey Magnesia on the Maeander. Its area is 549 km2, and its population is 175,401 (2022). Its elevation is .
The present name de ...
Aydın
Aydın ( ''EYE-din''; ; formerly named ''Güzelhisar; Greek: Τράλλεις)'' is a city in and the seat of Aydın Province in Turkey's Aegean Region. The city is located at the heart of the lower valley of Büyük Menderes River (ancient ...
,
Nazilli
Nazilli is municipality and district of Aydın Province, Turkey. Its area is 691 km2, and its population is 162,737 (2022). It is the second-largest city in Aydın Province, after the city of Aydın. It is east of Aydın, on the road to D ...
,
Bozdoğan
Bozdoğan is a municipality and district of Aydın Province, Turkey. Its area is 859 km2, and its population is 32,607 (2022). It is from the city of Aydın.
Bozdoğan is high on the side of Mount Madran, the source of the highly valued P ...
,
Söke
Söke is a municipality and district of Aydın Province, Turkey. Its area is 1,064 km2, and its population is 123,301 (2022). It is the largest district of Aydın Province by area. Söke is 54 km (34 miles) south-west of the city of Ayd� ...
and
Çine
Çine is a municipality and Districts of Turkey, district of Aydın Province, Turkey. Its area is 820 km2, and its population is 48,466 (2022). It is from the city of Aydın, on the road to Muğla.
History
Throughout the ages this area has ...
Muğla
Muğla () is a city in southwestern Turkey. The city is the center of the district of Menteşe, Muğla, Menteşe and Muğla Province, which stretches along Turkey's Aegean Sea, Aegean coast. Muğla's center is situated inland at an altitude of ...
,
Milas
Milas is a municipality and Districts of Turkey, district of Muğla Province, Turkey. Its area is 2,067 km2, and its population is 147,416 (2022). The city commands a region with an active economy and is very rich in history and ancient rema ...
Bodrum
Bodrum () is a town and district of Muğla Province, Turkey. About 200 thousand people live in the district, which covers 650 km2 and includes the town. It is a port town at the entrance to the Gulf of Gökova. Known in ancient times as Hal ...
,
Köyceğiz
Köyceğiz is a municipality and district of Muğla Province, Turkey. Its area is 1,329 km2, and its population is 39,242 (2022).
The town of Köyceğiz lies at the northern end of a lake of the same name ( Lake Köyceğiz) which is joined t ...
and
Marmaris
Marmaris () is a municipality and Districts of Turkey, district of Muğla Province, Turkey. Its area is 906 km2, and its population is 97,818 (2022). It is a port city and tourist resort on the Aegean Sea, Mediterranean coast, along the shorel ...
Denizli
Denizli is a city in Aegean Region, Aegean Turkey, and seat of the province of Denizli Province, Denizli. The city forms the urban part of the districts Merkezefendi and Pamukkale, Denizli, Pamukkale, with a population of 691 783 in 2024.
Denizl ...
,
Tavas
Tavas is a municipality and district of Denizli Province, Turkey. Its area is 1,432 km2, and its population is 41,712 (2022). It is on a wide plain on the road to Muğla, near to the district of Kale (and often the two are linked in one brea ...
,
Çal
Çal () is a municipality and district of Denizli Province, Turkey. Its area is 860 km2, and its population is 17,889 (2022). Çal district area occupies a central position in the northern part of its province and neighbors the district of Pa ...
,
Buldan
Buldan is a municipality and Districts of Turkey, district of Denizli Province, Turkey. Its area is 523 km2, and its population is 26,630 (2022). Buldan district area neighbors to the east and the south three other districts of the same prov ...
,
Sarayköy
Sarayköy is a municipality and district of Denizli Province, Turkey. Its area is 379 km2, and its population is 30,834 (2022). It is 20 km west of the city of Denizli, on a plain between mountains and watered by Büyük Menderes River.
...
and Garbikaraağaç (
Acıpayam
Acıpayam is a municipality and district of Denizli Province, Turkey. Its area is 1,772 km2, and its population is 54,888 (2022). It lies in high country between the Aegean and Mediterranean regions. A plain, watered by two reservoirs, known ...
).
Demographics
In 1893, there were in total 39 Kaza (districts). According to the Ottoman census of that year, in the 35 kazas Muslims were the majority. In the kaza of Izmir there was no majority but Muslims were the largest group.Ottoman Population, 1830-1914: Demographic and Social Characteristics, Kemal H. Karpat, pages 122–123, 1985 In the kaza of Foça, Urla and Çesme, comprising the Karaburun Peninsula, Greeks were the majority. However, according to American pre-
Greco-Turkish War (1919-1922) There have been several Greco-Turkish Wars:
* Orlov revolt (1770) Greeks' first major, organized Revolt against the Ottoman Empire with the support of Russia
*Greek War of Independence (1821–1830), against the Ottoman Empire
* First Greco-Turkish ...
estimates, the Greek element was the most numerous in Smyrna Sanjak with 375,000 inhabitants, while other groups included Muslims (325,000), Jews (40,000) and Armenians (18,000).