Author
Mustafa Öksüz
Subject
Christians, Palestine
Type
Book
Language
Arabic
Digital
Yes
Manuscript
No
Library
Royal Danish Library
Library Asset ID
EISSN: 2757-8399, DOI: 10.52637/kiid.1181612
Record ID
cdi_doaj_primary_oai_doaj_org_article_233b94837a764147b538d19a8a0a255c
Library Location
DOAJ Directory of Open Access Journals
Notes
Beit Jala, which hosts a Christian and Muslim population today, is a city in Palestine that is very busy in world politics. It is possible to find information about the history of the city in the archives of the Ottoman Empire, which ruled the region for four centuries. Various documents that have survived to this day, especially the census, mühimme and foundation books and court records, contain important information about the sixteenth century Christian village. This study, based on the sources in question and aiming to understand the century in question, aims to contribute to the understanding of the historical aspect of today's Palestine issue. Beyt Cala was administered as a village in the Jerusalem sub-district of the Jerusalem Sanjak under the Ottoman administration in the sixteenth century. Apart from an unsuccessful Muslim settlement attempt in the mentioned century, the village, where only the Christian population lived, has always had close relations with the city due to its location. The troubles that occurred in the region during the Ottoman-Mamluk conflict had a negative impact on this region. It is seen that the region entered a recovery process with the measures taken after the accession of Suleiman the Magnificent (1520-1566). This stable structure began to shake after the death of the sultan and the village was affected by this and suffered population loss. Although III. Although the detailed census book dated 1005h/1596-97 belonging to the reign of Mehmed II (1595-1603) contains some clues about the existence of a small recovery here, the thirty-four-year gap between it and the previous record makes it difficult to make a definitive assessment. When you look closely at the village in the first century of Ottoman rule, it becomes clear that there were some administrative changes. Beyt Cala, which constitutes a part of the revenues of the Mamluk Sultan Qaitbay's Haremeyn charity, has gained the distinction of being a foundation village in the true sense of the word, with the allocation of Hürrem Sultan to the Imaret Foundation in Jerusalem. While this change made its connection with the city even tighter, from now on, both the administrators in the sanjak and the administrators in the capital had their eyes on this place, as it was one of the sources financing a prestigious project of the empire and its stability was naturally of importance. Ultimately, Beyt Cala, which became more dependent on Jerusalem with this transformation, started to turn the production wheels for the city/foundation economy. The sources provide rich information about the agricultural produce here. In addition to the cultivation of wheat and barley, the cultivation of olives and various trees and viticulture were carried out in the village. In addition, it is seen that various agricultural activities such as oil production, beekeeping and goat breeding are also carried out in the village. Taxes collected from crops varied throughout the century, and at times one item brought more revenue. This is a sign that a flexible mode of production has been adopted by the villagers. They have updated themselves in this regard by closely following the changes and transformations in the market. Undoubtedly, ecological conditions and the change/transformation occurring in the region played a major role in the adoption of this attitude. The residents of Beyt Cala, which was not closed to the outside but, on the contrary, was open to outsiders, preferred to go to Jerusalem and settle over time. When the situation got worse and they had to leave this place, they returned to their villages. As a matter of fact, there are signs in the census records confirming this. There is ample information in the court records regarding the adventures of the city's residents. Considering that Muslims easily engage in agricultural activities in the village, it can be said that the villagers belonging to the Orthodox sect do not have religious bigotry. The jizyah paid by Christians increased over time, and considering the interests of the people, the rate was determined as 70 silver coins during the conquest. Following the improvement of the economic situation of the people, the amount was increased to 80 coins and this amount was maintained for most of the century. As a result of the financial situation of the state and the loss of value of the coin, at the end of the sixteenth century, the villagers were obliged to pay the jizya in 90 silver coins. Regarding other taxes, especially jizya, the imperial administrators did not adopt a taxation practice that would harass the people and tried to prevent all practices they considered illegal.
Görüntüle
Kocatepe İslami İlimler dergisi : (Online), 2022-12, Vol.5 (2), p.395-413
