Muftis of Jerusalem According to the Records of the Sheikh al-Islam Office Archives

Within the discipline of history, it is also necessary to address the lives of individuals. However, accessing information about the daily lives of ordinary people is often not easy. In the early stages of historical writing, the focus was primarily on heroes and kings who were revered as gods. The history of common people became a subject of study only with the development of historiography in the modern sense. Although sufficient data on the lives of ordinary individuals are not always available, it is possible to examine their lives through the personnel records kept during the late Ottoman period, particularly those belonging to members of the scholarly (ilmiye) class. This study focuses on the biographies of the Muftis of Jerusalem, compiled from the archival records of the Sheikh al-Islam Office, currently housed under the Istanbul Mufti’s Office. The aim is to provide detailed biographical information on the Muftis of Jerusalem during the late Ottoman period. From the 16th century until the first quarter of the 20th century, Jerusalem functioned as a sanjak (district) of the Ottoman Empire. As a result of its administrative status, a relatively high number of muftis were appointed to the region. However, due to the fact that official personnel records began to be systematically kept only in the second half of the 19th century, it has not been possible to obtain information on all of the muftis. Based on data obtained through qualitative research methods, specifically document analysis and archival review, it has been determined that four muftis served in Jerusalem during the final period of the Ottoman Empire. In referring to these muftis, the name Muhammad has been preferred over Mehmet, which is more commonly used in Anatolia, in order to better reflect the demographic characteristics of the region, differing from the choice made by some previous researchers. Jerusalem has long held a central place for all three major monotheistic religions and continues to maintain this significance today. Recognizing its religious importance in Islam as well, the Ottoman Empire approached the city with particular care. This sensitivity is also evident in the appointment of muftis, where attention was paid to the region’s demographic composition. Although the majority of the Ottoman population adhered to the Hanafi school of thought, efforts were made to address the needs of local residents who followed the Shafi'i school. As a result, the city had both a Hanafi and a Shafi'i mufti serving concurrently

Comparative historical research · Historical record · Historiography · Qualitative analysis · Islamic Studies and History · Ottoman and Turkish Studies · Ottoman Empire History and Society

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