The Vilayet of Constantinople[2] or Istanbul (Turkish: Vilâyet-i İstanbul) was a first-level administrative division (vilayet) of the Ottoman Empire, encompassing the imperial capital, Constantinople (Istanbul).

İstanbul
Vilayet of the Ottoman Empire
1878–1922

Population 
• Muslim, 1914[1]
560,434
• Greek, 1914[1]
205,752
• Armenian, 1914[1]
82,880
• Jewish, 1914[1]
52,126
History 
• Established
1878
• Disestablished
1922
Preceded by
Succeeded by
İstanbul Eyaleti
Istanbul Province
Today part ofTurkey

History

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It had a special organisation, as it was placed under the immediate authority of the Minister of Police (Zabtiye Naziri), who filled a role equivalent to the governor (wali) in other vilayets.[3]

It included Stamboul (the inner city, known in Turkish as Istanbul) and the quarters of Eyüp, Kassim Pacha, Pera and Galata, and all the suburbs from Silivri on the Sea of Marmara to the Black Sea on the European side, and from Ghili on the Black Sea to the end of the Gulf of İzmit on the Asiatic side.[3]

In 1878, a provincial structure, with a governor (wāli) and provincial officers, was established to perform the same functions within Constantinople that provincial authorities performed elsewhere in the Empire.[4]

Administrative divisions

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Sanjaks and kazas, circa 1877:[3]

Demography

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Ethnic Groups in Constantinople Vilayet

  Islam (62%)
  Orthodox (23%)
  Apostolic (9%)
  Judaism (6%)
Istanbul vilayet 1914 population [5]
Township Muslim % Greek Orthodox % Armenian % Jewish % Others % Total
Fatih (Downtown) 279,056 64,287 28,095 13,441 2,013 386,892
Bakırköy 28,967 11,221 5,954 364 390 46,896
Adalar 1,586 8,725 652 79 - 45 - 11,087
Beyoğlu 117,267 75,971 30,642 31,080 - 6,135 - 261,095
Üsküdar 70,447 19,832 13,949 6,836 579 - 111,643
Gebze 26,220 5,856 47 - 21 - 32,144
Kartal 8,257 6,862 3,216 13 - - 18,348
Beykoz 14,466 3,708 325 292 1 - 18,792
Şile 14,168 8,913 - - - - - - 23,081
Total 560,434 205,375 82,880 52,126 9,163 909,978
Armenians: 72,962 Gregorian and 9,918 Catholic. The province has a total population of 1,213 Protestants and 387 Greek Catholics.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d "1914 Census Statistics" (PDF). Turkish General Staff. pp. 605–606. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 October 2011. Retrieved 29 January 2011.
  2. ^ Geographical Dictionary of the World. Concept Publishing Company. p. 1796. ISBN 978-81-7268-012-1. Retrieved 20 May 2013.
  3. ^ a b c Baker, James (1877). Turkey in Europe. Cassell, Petter & Galpin. pp. 515–516.
  4. ^ Stanford Jay Shaw; Ezel Kural Shaw (1977). History of the Ottoman Empire and Modern Turkey. Cambridge University Press. p. 94. ISBN 978-0-521-29166-8. Retrieved 2013-06-04.
  5. ^ Karpat, Kemal (1985). Ottoman Population, 1830-1914: Demographic and Social Characteristics. University of Wisconsin Press. pp. 170–171. Archived from the original on 14 October 2013. Retrieved 21 October 2013.
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