Abstract:

There are few studies on the history of places where have town status as an administrative unit although the studies about the history of the cities in the researches about Ottoman history have an important place in recent years.  Due to the lack of study, we have limited information about many cities and towns that have historical significance. Some information and facts are ignored deliberately or indeliberately. One of these places, which is overlooked and not researched enough, is the Erbil City which is located in Northern Iraq geography which is still an important area. This study aims to explore the economic situation of the city during the Ottoman Empire period by reaching the sources in different languages related to Erbil. While considering the economy of the city, Erbil's agriculture, the territorial order, the effect of 1858 Land Law on Erbil, the application of tax-farming in Erbil, the Seniyye lands, the economic status of the people of Erbil, trade, industry and craftsmen groups have been examined. In the 19th century, the lands in Erbil are divided into two as state and foundation lands. The tax revenue from these lands was spent on the salaries of the soldiers involved in the Erbil town and the needs of the derwishes’ lodges. As it can be understood from the documents, the absence of any river and water resources in Erbil indicates that the agricultural production here is based only on rain water. When the production and trade capacity of the city is considered, it can be said that Erbil is not able to export any product other than grain and it is quite infertile at this point.

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