mutasarrif
{{Short description|Ottoman title for governors of an administrative district}}
File:CUINET(1895) 4.017 Vilayet of Hüdavendigâr.jpg, divided into Sanjaks, showing the separate Mutasarrifate of Biga and the Mutasarrifate of Izmit]]
Mutasarrif, mutesarrif, mutasarriff, or mutesarriff ({{langx|ota|متصرّف|mutasarrıf|plenipotentiary}}) was the title used in the Ottoman Empire and places like post-Ottoman Iraq for the governor of an administrative district in place of the usual sanjakbey.{{cite book |title= Mutesarrif |publisher= Merriam-Webster |url= https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mutasarrif |access-date= 11 February 2022}}{{cite encyclopedia |title= Mutesarrif |encyclopedia= Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon |year= 1905–1909 |edition= 6th |lang= de |via= de-academic.com |url= https://meyers.de-academic.com/94775/Mutesarrif |access-date= 11 February 2022}} The Ottoman rank of mutasarrif was established as part of a 1864 reform, and its holder was appointed directly by the Sultan.{{cite book |last= Krikorian |first= Mesrob K. |title= Armenians in the Service of the Ottoman Empire: 1860-1908 |page= 24 |publisher= Routledge |year= 2018 |isbn= 978-1351031288 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=Wz9ZDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT24 |access-date= 11 February 2022}}
The administrative district under his authority, the mutasarrifate ({{translit|ota|mutasarriflık}}),{{what?|date=March 2024}} was officially called a {{lang|tr|sanjak}} ({{lang|ota|سنجاق}}) in Turkish or {{lang|ar-Latn|liwa}} ({{lang|ar|لواء}}) in Arabic and Persian.Meyers (1905–1909), [https://meyers.de-academic.com/dic.nsf/meyers/83486/Liw%C3%A2 Liwâ]. A mutasarrif was subordinate to a wali or governor-general of a province, while being of superior rank to a kaymakam.Meyers (1905–1909), [https://meyers.de-academic.com/dic.nsf/meyers/68292/Kaimakam Kaimakam].
Etymology
Ottoman Turkish mutasarrıf is derived from the Arabic mutaṣarrif, meaning provincial governor.lexico.com, [https://web.archive.org/web/20220211224738/https://www.lexico.com/definition/mutasarrif mutasarrif]. Accessed 11 Feb 2022. Mutaṣarrif is the active participle 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 or Cyprus) and sometimes was part of a vilayet (province), administered by a vali, and contained nahiye (communes), each administered by a kaymakam.Üngör, Uğur Ü. (June 2005). [http://home.uva.nl/uu.ungor/thesis.pdf A Reign of Terror], Master's thesis, University of Amsterdam, p. 21. {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061128210749/http://home.uva.nl/uu.ungor/thesis.pdf |date=2006-11-28 }}. This rank was established in 1864 against the new Law of Villayets instead of rank of mutesellim which was abolished in 1842.{{cite book | title=Ula: An Anatolian Town | author=Benedict, Peter | year=1974 | page=85}}
"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."A History of the modern middle east Cleveland and Buntin p.84
The mutassarifates of the Ottoman Empire included:
See also
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.turizm.gov.tr/EN/BelgeGoster.aspx?F6E10F8892433CFF657B96472CD89203B0045F2B2135708F Turkish explanation of the term]
{{Turkish terms for country subdivisions}}
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Category:Turkish words and phrases
Category:Subdivisions of the Ottoman Empire
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