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Ottoman Syria refers to the Levant
Levant

The Levant describes, traditionally, the Eastern Mediterranean at large, but can be used as a geographical term that denotes a large area in Western Asia formed by the lands bordering the Eastern shores of the Mediterranean, roughly bounded on the north by the Taurus Mountains, on the south by the Arabian Desert, and on the west by the M...
 within the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire

The Ottoman Empire , also known by its contemporaries as the Turkish Empire or Turkey , was an empire that lasted from 1299?1923. It was Treaty of Lausanne by the Republic of Turkey, which was officially proclaimed on October 29, 1923....
 from 1516 to 1918. Syria in the Ottoman era included modern Syria
Syria

Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is an Arab-majority country in Southwest Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Israel to the southwest, Jordan to the south, Iraq to the east, and Turkey to the north....
, Lebanon
Lebanon

Lebanon , officially the Republic of Lebanon or Lebanese Republic , is a country in Western Asia, on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea....
, Israel
Israel

Israel officially the State of Israel , is a country in the Middle East located on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Lebanon in the north, Syria in the northeast, Jordan in the east, and Egypt on the southwest, and contains geographically diverse features within its relatively small area....
, the West Bank
West Bank

The West Bank is the eastern Part of the Palestinian territories on the west bank of the River Jordan in the Middle East. To the west, north, and south the West Bank shares borders with the state of Israel....
, Gaza Strip
Gaza Strip

The Gaza Strip is a coastal strip of land along the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Egypt on the south-west and Israel on the south, east and north....
, Jordan
Jordan

Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is an Arab country in Southwest Asia spanning the southern part of the Syrian Desert down to the Gulf of Aqaba....
, and parts of Turkey
Turkey

Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country that stretches across the Anatolian peninsula in southwest Asia and Thrace in the Balkans region of Southern Europe....
 and Iraq
Iraq

Iraq , officially the Republic of Iraq , is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros Mountains, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
.

Administrative Divisions
When he first seized Syria in 1516, Selim I kept the administrative subdivisions of the Mamluk period unchanged.






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Ottoman Syria refers to the Levant
Levant

The Levant describes, traditionally, the Eastern Mediterranean at large, but can be used as a geographical term that denotes a large area in Western Asia formed by the lands bordering the Eastern shores of the Mediterranean, roughly bounded on the north by the Taurus Mountains, on the south by the Arabian Desert, and on the west by the M...
 within the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire

The Ottoman Empire , also known by its contemporaries as the Turkish Empire or Turkey , was an empire that lasted from 1299?1923. It was Treaty of Lausanne by the Republic of Turkey, which was officially proclaimed on October 29, 1923....
 from 1516 to 1918. Syria in the Ottoman era included modern Syria
Syria

Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is an Arab-majority country in Southwest Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Israel to the southwest, Jordan to the south, Iraq to the east, and Turkey to the north....
, Lebanon
Lebanon

Lebanon , officially the Republic of Lebanon or Lebanese Republic , is a country in Western Asia, on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea....
, Israel
Israel

Israel officially the State of Israel , is a country in the Middle East located on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Lebanon in the north, Syria in the northeast, Jordan in the east, and Egypt on the southwest, and contains geographically diverse features within its relatively small area....
, the West Bank
West Bank

The West Bank is the eastern Part of the Palestinian territories on the west bank of the River Jordan in the Middle East. To the west, north, and south the West Bank shares borders with the state of Israel....
, Gaza Strip
Gaza Strip

The Gaza Strip is a coastal strip of land along the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Egypt on the south-west and Israel on the south, east and north....
, Jordan
Jordan

Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is an Arab country in Southwest Asia spanning the southern part of the Syrian Desert down to the Gulf of Aqaba....
, and parts of Turkey
Turkey

Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country that stretches across the Anatolian peninsula in southwest Asia and Thrace in the Balkans region of Southern Europe....
 and Iraq
Iraq

Iraq , officially the Republic of Iraq , is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros Mountains, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
.

History


Before 1516, historical or Greater Syria
Greater Syria

Greater Syria , also known simply as Syria, is a term that denotes a region in the Near East bordering the Eastern Mediterranean Sea or the Levant....
 was part of the Mamluk Empire centered in Egypt
Egypt

Egypt is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Western Asia. Covering an area of about , Egypt borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, the Gaza Strip and Israel to the northeast, the Red Sea to the east, Sudan to the south and Libya to the west....
. The Ottoman Sultan Selim I
Selim I

Selim I also known as "the Grim" or "the Brave", or the best translation "the Stern", Yavuz in Turkish language, the long name is Yavuz Sultan Selim; October 10 1465/1466/1470 September 22, 1520) was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1512 to 1520....
 conquered Syria in 1516 after defeating the Mamlukes at the Battle of Marj Dabiq
Battle of Marj Dabiq

The battle of Marj Dabiq was a decisive military clash in History of the Middle East, fought on 24 August 1516, 44 km north of Halab, Syria....
 near Aleppo
Aleppo

Aleppo is a city in northern Syria, capital of the Aleppo Governorate; the Governorate extends around the city for over 16,000 km? and has a population of 4,393,000, making it the largest Governorate in Syria by population....
 in northern Syria. Selim carried on his victorious campaign against the Mamlukes and conquered Egypt
Egypt

Egypt is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Western Asia. Covering an area of about , Egypt borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, the Gaza Strip and Israel to the northeast, the Red Sea to the east, Sudan to the south and Libya to the west....
 in 1517 following the Battle of Ridanieh
Battle of Ridanieh

The Battle of Ridaniya was fought on January 22, 1517 in Egypt. The Ottoman Empire Turkish forces of Selim I defeated the Mamluk forces under Al-Ashraf Tuman bay II....
, bringing an end to the Mamluk Sultanate.

Administrative Divisions


When he first seized Syria in 1516, Selim I kept the administrative subdivisions of the Mamluk period unchanged. After he came back from Egypt in July 1517, he reorganized Syria into one large province or eyalet named Sam (Arabic/Turkish for "Syria"). The eyalet was subdivided into several districts or sanjaks.

1549


In 1549, Syria was reorganized into two eyalets. The northern Sanjak of Aleppo
Aleppo

Aleppo is a city in northern Syria, capital of the Aleppo Governorate; the Governorate extends around the city for over 16,000 km? and has a population of 4,393,000, making it the largest Governorate in Syria by population....
 became the center of the new Eyalet of Aleppo. At this time, the two Syrian Eyalets were subdivided as follows:

  • The Eyalet of Aleppo
    • The Sanjak of Aleppo
    • The Sanjak of Adana
      Adana

      Adana , is the capital of Adana Province in Turkey. The city administrates two districts, Seyhan and Y?regir, with a total population of 2,530,257 and an area of 1,945 km?....
    • The Sanjak of Ablistan (Marash)
    • The Sanjak of Aintab
    • The Sanjak of Birejik (Urfa)
    • The Sanjak of Kilis
      Kilis Province

      HistoryThere is evidence of human occupation from 4,000 years ago, in the Middle Bronze Age. The region has been ruled by the Hurrians, the Assyrian Empire, the Hittite Empire, the Persian Empire, the Macedon, the Roman Empire , and finally by Ottoman Empire....
    • The Sanjak of Ma'arra
      Ma'arrat al-Numan

      Ma`arat al-Numan is a small western Syrian market city, located at the highway between Aleppo and Hama and near the Dead Cities of Bara, Syria and Serjilla....
    • The Sanjak of Hama
      Hama

      Hama is a city on the banks of the Orontes river in central Syria north of Damascus. It is the provincial capital of the Hama Governorate. It is the location of the historical city Hamath....
    • The Sanjak of Salamiya
    • The Sanjak of Homs
      Homs

      Hims Hims did not emerge into the light of history until the 1st century BCE at the time of Seleucids. It later became the capital of a kingdom ruled by the Royal Family of Emesa who gave the city its name....


  • The Eyalet of Arabs (Damascus
    Damascus

    Damascus is the capital and largest city of Syria. It is List of oldest continuously inhabited cities and its current population is estimated at about 4,000,000....
    ) (????? ?????)
    • The Sanjak of Damascus
    • The Sanjak of Tripoli
    • The Sanjak of Safad
    • The Sanjak of Nablus
      Nablus

      Nablus is a Palestinian people city in the northern West Bank, approximately north of Jerusalem, with a population of 134,000. Located in a strategic position between Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim, it is the capital of the Nablus Governorate and a Palestinian commercial and cultural center....
    • The Sanjak of Jerusalem
      Jerusalem

      Jerusalem is the capital of Israel and its List of Israeli cities in both population and area, with a population of 747,600 residents over an area of if Positions on Jerusalem East Jerusalem is included....
    • The Sanjak of Tara Bey Arabs (in Palestine
      Palestine

      Palestine is a name which has been widely used since Roman times to refer to the region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River. It is derived from a name used already much earlier for a narrower geographical region, mainly along the coastal region....
      )
    • The Sanjak of Salt
      Salt, Jordan

      Salt is an ancient agricultural town and administrative centre in west-central Jordan. It is on the old main highway leading from Amman to Jerusalem....
    • The Sanjak of Gaza


1579


In 1579, the Eyalet of Tripoli was established under the name of Tripoli of Syria (Turkish:Trablussam) (Arabic: ?????? ?????). At this time, the eyalets became as follows:

  • The Eyalet of Aleppo
    Aleppo

    Aleppo is a city in northern Syria, capital of the Aleppo Governorate; the Governorate extends around the city for over 16,000 km? and has a population of 4,393,000, making it the largest Governorate in Syria by population....
     included:
    • The Sanjak of Aleppo
    • The Sanjak of Adana
      Adana

      Adana , is the capital of Adana Province in Turkey. The city administrates two districts, Seyhan and Y?regir, with a total population of 2,530,257 and an area of 1,945 km?....
    • The Sanjak of Marash
    • The Sanjak of Aintab
    • The Sanjak of Urfa


  • The Eyalet of Tripoli included:
    • The Sanjak of Tripoli
    • The Sanjak of Latakia
      Latakia

      Latakia or Latakiyah is the principal port city of Syria, capital of the Latakia Governorate. Its population is 554,000....
    • The Sanjak of Hama
      Hama

      Hama is a city on the banks of the Orontes river in central Syria north of Damascus. It is the provincial capital of the Hama Governorate. It is the location of the historical city Hamath....
    • The Sanjak of Homs
      Homs

      Hims Hims did not emerge into the light of history until the 1st century BCE at the time of Seleucids. It later became the capital of a kingdom ruled by the Royal Family of Emesa who gave the city its name....


  • The Eyalet of Damascus
    Damascus

    Damascus is the capital and largest city of Syria. It is List of oldest continuously inhabited cities and its current population is estimated at about 4,000,000....
     included:
    • The Sanjak of Damascus
    • The Sanjak of Beirut
      Beirut

      Beirut is the Capital and largest city of Lebanon with a population of over 2.1 million as of 2007. Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's coastline with the Mediterranean sea, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport and also forms the Beirut District area, which consists of the city and its suburbs....
    • The Sanjak of Sidon
      Sidon

      Sidon,or Sa?da, is the third-largest city in Lebanon. It is located in the South Governorate, Lebanon of Lebanon, on the Mediterranean Sea coast, about 40 km north of Tyre, Lebanon and 40 km south of the capital Beirut....
    • The Sanjak of Acre
      Acre

      The acre is a Units of measurement of area in a number of different systems, including the Imperial unit#Measures of area and United States customary units#Units of area systems....
    • The Sanjak of Safad
    • The Sanjak of Nablus
      Nablus

      Nablus is a Palestinian people city in the northern West Bank, approximately north of Jerusalem, with a population of 134,000. Located in a strategic position between Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim, it is the capital of the Nablus Governorate and a Palestinian commercial and cultural center....
    • The Sanjak of Jerusalem
      Jerusalem

      Jerusalem is the capital of Israel and its List of Israeli cities in both population and area, with a population of 747,600 residents over an area of if Positions on Jerusalem East Jerusalem is included....
    • The Sanjak of Gaza
      Gaza

      Gaza is a Palestinian people city in the Gaza Strip, approximately southwest of Jerusalem, with a population of 410,000, making it the largest city under the control of the Palestinian National Authority....
    • The Sanjak of Hauran
      Hauran

      Hauran, also Hawran or Houran, The Hauran is mentioned in the Bible describing the boundary area of the Israelite Kingdom at the time....
    • The Sanjak of Ma'an
      Ma'an

      Ma'an is a city in southern Jordan 218 km away from the capital Amman. It is the capital of Ma'an Governorate. The modern city has a population of around 50,000....


1586


In 1586, the Eyalet of Raqqa was established in eastern Syria. It lasted until the Egyptian invasion in 1831.

  • The Eyalet of Raqqa ( ????? ?????)
    • The Sanjak of Urfa
    • The Sanjak of Marash
    • The Sanjak of Dayr Rahba
    • The Sanjak of Khabour
    • The Sanjak of Jamasa
    • The Sanjak of Bani Rabi'a


1660


The Eyalet of Safad was established in 1660. It was later renamed the Eyalet of Sidon
Sidon

Sidon,or Sa?da, is the third-largest city in Lebanon. It is located in the South Governorate, Lebanon of Lebanon, on the Mediterranean Sea coast, about 40 km north of Tyre, Lebanon and 40 km south of the capital Beirut....
, and later, the Eyalet of Beirut
Beirut

Beirut is the Capital and largest city of Lebanon with a population of over 2.1 million as of 2007. Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's coastline with the Mediterranean sea, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport and also forms the Beirut District area, which consists of the city and its suburbs....
.

1861


Under European pressure, mainly from France, an Ottoman edict issued in 1861 (effective in 1864) made Mount Lebanon a Mutesarrifiyyet governed by a Mutasarrif
Mutasarrif

In the Ottoman Empire, a mutasarrif was the governor of a district. This administrative unit was part of a vilayet , administered by a wali#Ottoman Empire term, and contained nahiye , each administered by a kaymakam....
. This meant that the majorly Maronite mountain was no longer subordinate to any of the surrounding Eyalets. The edict also granted that the Mutasarrif be Christian.

These reforms came after a sectarian war in the mountain between the Maronites and the Druze
Druze

The Druze are a religious community found primarily in Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel and in the Palestinian territories whose traditional religion is said to have begun as an offshoot of Islam, but is unique in its incorporation of Gnosticism, Neoplatonism and other philosophies, similar to other followers of Ismaili Shi'a Islam....
, the latters were supposidly backed by the Ottomans.

1864


As part of the Tanzimat
Tanzimat

The Tanzimat , meaning reorganization of the Ottoman Empire, was a period of reformation that began in 1839 and ended with the First Constitutional Era in 1876....
 reforms, an Ottoman law passed in 1864 provided for a standard provincial administration throughout the empire with the Eyalets becoming smaller Vilayets governed by a Wali or governor still appointed by the Porte
Porte

Ottoman Porte used to refer to the Divan of the Ottoman Empire where government policies were established....
 but with new provincial assemblies participating in administration.

1874


In 1874, Jerusalem
Jerusalem

Jerusalem is the capital of Israel and its List of Israeli cities in both population and area, with a population of 747,600 residents over an area of if Positions on Jerusalem East Jerusalem is included....
 became a Mutesarrifiyyet gaining a special administrative status.

1877


In 1877, the subdivisions of Syria were as follows:

  • The Vilayet of Aleppo (Arabic: ????? ???)
  • The Vilayet of Deir ez-Zor (Arabic: ????? ??? ?????)
  • The Vilayet of Beirut (Arabic: ????? ?????)
  • The Vilayet of Syria (Damascus) (Arabic: ????? ?????) (Damascus is called "Syria" (Sham) in Levantine Arabic
    Levantine Arabic

    Levantine Arabic is a group of Arabic language Varieties of Arabic spoken in the 100 km-wide eastern-Mediterranean coastal strip known as the Levant, i.e....
    )
  • The Mutesarrifiyyet of Mount Lebanon (Arabic: ??????? ??? ?????)
  • The Mutesarrifiyyet of Jerusalem (Arabic: ??????? ????? ??????)


See also

  • History of Syria
    History of Syria

    This article deals with the history of Syria, and the nations previously occupying its territory....
  • Roman Syria
  • Sykes-Picot Agreement
    Sykes-Picot Agreement

    The Sykes-Picot Agreement of 1916 was a secret agreement between the governments of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and France, with the assent of Imperial Russia, defining their respective spheres of influence and control in west Asia after the expected downfall of the Ottoman Empire during World War I....
  • French Mandate of Syria
    French Mandate of Syria

    The French Mandate of Syria was a League of Nations Mandate created after the First World War and the partitioning of the Ottoman Empire. During the two years that followed the end of the war in 1918, and according to the Sykes-Picot Agreement which was signed between Britain and France during the war, the British held control of the Ottoman...