Abstract:

The rights and freedoms set forth in the European Convention on Human Rights and its complementary protocols constitute the basic principles of human rights today. Based on these principles, when the social, economic and legal opportunities of the people living in Jerusalem under the Ottoman rule in the 16th century are evaluated, it is seen that a practice beyond its time was encountered. Even in the modern world, many human rights such as the right to life, legal equality, representation, assembly, forming associations and trade unions, which were not fully practiced, were granted to the people in 16th century Ottoman Jerusalem. The state, without ignoring the fact that Muslims were the main element, applied the rights and freedoms they granted to the people to Christian and Jewish citizens, who were considered minorities. These rights and freedoms, which were not seen in other contemporary states, are clearly seen in the documents of the 16th century Ottoman State. The results obtained from the information in the archival documents, which are the main sources for the period analyzed, are as follows: Muslims, Christians and Jews living in the city lived together in peace and tranquility. People could freely grow and sell crops, worship and practice their own traditions without being subjected to religious and ethnic discrimination. When necessary, they could apply to state institutions to seek their rights or to file objections and complaints on certain issues and receive results.

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