The Property Rights in the Ottoman Jerusalem of Wartime (1914-1918)

Abstract

Jerusalem is a special place where communities, belonging to many religion and sect, live together. The city was ruled by various states throughout history. The Ottoman Empire also ruled over the city for four centuries and during this process the empire issued various decrees to regulate the lives of the communities belonging to different communities in religion, education and socio-economic areas. Non-Muslims were allowed to build some institutions in order to continue their religious-cultural activities in the city as well. However, in the subsequent years, with the setting of new targets in Middle East geography by the European States, which have obtained concessions through capitulation agreements, the city had transformed into an area where the urban property struggle took place. With the beginning of the First World War, the Ottoman State obtained the opportunity to inspect foreign institutions that acquired property through concessions by abolishing the capitulations. This study aims to examine the regulations drafted for the properties under the control of the foreigners in the process of abolishing the capitulations, the works of the commissions formed during their execution and the implementation of this process in a cosmopolitan city like Jerusalem. For this study, the primary sources in the Prime Ministry Ottoman Archives were examined and the study was reinforced by the secondary sources.