Chris Gratien, Georgetown University
The Ottoman Empire did not conduct major censuses (nüfus sayımı) in the modern sense until the issue of universal conscription rose about starting in 1831. Over the following decades, the state sought to register each and every male citizen, a process that was not easy as discussed in previous posts in this blog.
This is a nüfus tezkeresi or identity card containing all the necessary information that the Ottoman state needed about its citizens. It comes from a file regarding some teaching posts at rüşdiye schools in Syria.
If we read from right to left, the man's name is Mr. Ahmed Effendi, his father's name is Sheikh Ali Qassam from the Halib neighborhood of Cebele (Jebleh) on the northern Syrian coast. Ahmed was 37 at the time the ID was issued (by the time of this file he was 45) and under his trade or profession he is listed as being a student of the sciences. His birthday is not listed but his birth year is 1273 (1856/7). His religion is Islam, and the box that is blank, intihap salahiyeti, refers to whether or not he is of age (for example for children "yoktur" is written).
In the second row, eşkal refers to the individual's physical appearance in the obvious absence of a photograph. For height (boy), medium (orta) is written. His eyes are light brown (ala), his mustache and beard are dark (kara), and for distinguishing characteristics "beyaz" or white is written. The other columns pertain to his place of residence and address.
On the far left, there is note indicating that this nüfus tezkeresi is standing in place of a lost one. On the bottom is a statement indicating that the individual has been recorded in the population registry as Mr. Ahmed bin Şeyh Ali Kassam, and the title of efendi has been added.
On the back (click for the whole thing), which is probably more likely to be read by an Ottoman historian than the holder of the identity, a number of rules regarding not just the identity card but by extension citizenship as well are printed. The card must be shown upon the following occassions:
- Selling, leaving, or transferring immovable property
- Being selected for a government post or service
- Dealing with police
- Receiving a visa or passport
- Marriage
When the tezkere cannot be furnished, the matter can be delayed until it is possible; however, the inability or refusal to show the tezkere or record oneself can result in a fine or up to a month in prison. The harshest punishment is reserved for those who are of military conscription age, who will be conscripted automatically (without draft lottery) as a result.
BOA MF-MKT 551/15 (23 Z 1318)
Thank for the article... I was reading a work by a Macedonian author written in 1903, in which he was mentioning one's ethnic affiliation being recorded in one's "nafuz" (нафуз). The word occurs in a few other Bulgarian and Macedonian sources of the period, but aren't in any dictionaries. So this apparently was the Slavic name for these Ottoman ID cards (nüfus tezkeresi), now utterly forgotten.
ReplyDeleteCorrecting myself: the usual Bulgarian/Macedonian spelling was "nofuz" (нафуз), not "nafuz". ( http://vmenkov.blogspot.com/2014/05/nafuz.html )
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