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Journals / Kulliye / 2026 / Cilt: 7 Sayı: 1

Between Waqf Property and Private Property in Ottoman Law: A Fountain Dispute in the Kaldırgöç Neighborhood of Thessaloniki (1904-1905)

Vakıf Mülkiyeti ve Özel Mülkiyet Arasında Osmanlı Hukuku: Selanik Kaldırgöç Mahallesinde Bir Çeşme İhtilafı (1904-1905)

Mehmet Tuğrul(ANKARA YILDIRIM BEYAZIT ÜNİVERSİTESİ)0000-0001-5200-0596
Journal
Kulliye
Pages
130–151
Publication Date
2026-03-25
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AI Summary & Key Takeaways

AI Insight
⚡ TL;DR(Too Long; Didn't Read)

Adopting a microhistorical approach, the study aims to understand the complexity of post-Tanzimat Ottoman modernization, the functioning of the legal system, and the ways different communities shared urban space in a multi-ethnic city through a single dispute.

📌 3 Key Takeaways

🎯
Objective & Hypothesis:This study examines a property dispute between a waqf fountain and private property in the Kaldırgöç neighborhood of Thessaloniki during 1904-1905, based on Ottoman archival documents.
📊
Key Findings & Data:The article reveals the tension between waqf law and modern property concepts in the late Ottoman Empire, how the central government’s principle of “protection and preservation of charitable endowments” was implemented at the local level, and the legal strategies employed by private property owners to protect their rights.
💡
Conclusion & Impact:Adopting a microhistorical approach, the study aims to understand the complexity of post-Tanzimat Ottoman modernization, the functioning of the legal system, and the ways different communities shared urban space in a multi-ethnic city through a single dispute.
🔬Design:Araştırma Makalesi
📍Scope:Comprehensive Sample
⚙️Variables:Osmanlı · Vakıf · Selanik

Abstract

This study examines a property dispute between a waqf fountain and private property in the Kaldırgöç neighborhood of Thessaloniki during 1904-1905, based on Ottoman archival documents. The dispute arose from a boundary disagreement between a house owned by a Jewish woman named Rahil binti Yusuf and the land of a waqf fountain. The article reveals the tension between waqf law and modern property concepts in the late Ottoman Empire, how the central government’s principle of “protection and preservation of charitable endowments” was implemented at the local level, and the legal strategies employed by private property owners to protect their rights. Adopting a microhistorical approach, the study aims to understand the complexity of post-Tanzimat Ottoman modernization, the functioning of the legal system, and the ways different communities shared urban space in a multi-ethnic city through a single dispute.

Özet

Bu çalışma, 1904-1905 yıllarında Selanik’in Kaldırgöç mahallesinde yaşanan bir vakıf çeşmesi ile özel mülkiyet arasındaki ihtilafı, Osmanlı arşiv belgelerine dayanarak incelemektedir. İhtilaf, Rahil binti Yusuf adlı bir Yahudi kadının mülkiyetindeki hane ile bir vakıf çeşmesinin arsası arasındaki sınır anlaşmazlığından kaynaklanmıştır. Makale, Osmanlı İmparatorluğu’nun son döneminde vakıf hukuku ile modern mülkiyet anlayışı arasındaki gerilimi, merkezi hükümetin “hayrâtın sıyânet ve muhafazası” ilkesinin yerel düzeyde nasıl uygulandığını ve özel mülk sahiplerinin haklarını korumak için kullandıkları hukukî stratejileri ortaya koymaktadır. Çalışma, mikro-tarih yaklaşımını benimseyerek, tek bir ihtilaf üzerinden Tanzimat sonrası Osmanlı modernleşmesinin karmaşıklığını, hukuk sisteminin işleyişini ve çok kültürlü bir şehirde farklı toplulukların mekânı paylaşma biçimlerini anlamayı hedeflemektedir.

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Cite This Article

Tuğrul, M. (2026). Between Waqf Property and Private Property in Ottoman Law: A Fountain Dispute in the Kaldırgöç Neighborhood of Thessaloniki (1904-1905). Kulliye, Cilt: 7 Sayı: 1, 130–151. https://doi.org/10.48139/aybukulliye.1838354

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