Blue Book Update

“The Regulation Concerning the Management of the Land and Properties Belonging to Armenians Who Have Been Sent Elsewhere as a Result of the State of War and the Extraordinary Political Situation” [dated 10 June 1915][1]

Article 1: The management of the land and properties belonging to Armenians who had been moved elsewhere, will be carried out in compliance with these regulations by specially formed commissions and assigned officials whose authorities are indicated in the following articles.

Article 2: Following the evacuation of a village or district, all buildings with furniture and other objects belonging to the Armenians who have been sent elsewhere will immediately be sealed by the special council or civil servant appointed by the administrative commission, and taken under protection.

Article 3: The type, amount, value, and the name of the owners of the goods taken under protection will be registered in a detailed way. Later on, these goods will be sent to convenient storage places such as churches, schools, and houses. Care will be taken to catalogue the goods under the names of their owners, where they are found and protected will be included in registration records, the original copy of which will be preserved at the local government and a ratified cop at the Commission for Abandoned Properties.

Article 4: The movables whose owners are known, will be registered in the name of the villages where they are found and they will be preserved in the name of the village.

Article 5: Of moveable goods, the ones that can become spoiled and the animals will be sold at an auction by a council to be appointed by the Commission. The money received as a result of the sale will be preserved in the name of the owner. If the name of the owner is not known, the money will be delivered to the financial office for preservation at the village or district trust where the sold property belongs. A document showing the type, amount, value and the owner’s name of the auctioned goods will be prepared and registered in a special book, and the bottom of the document will be ratified by the council conducting the auction. Furthermore, an explanatory record will be arranged, the original copy of which will be preserved at the local government and a ratified copy at the Commission for Abandoned Properties.

Article 6: Care will be taken to preserve the goods, pictures and holy books found at the churches in their original places after they are registered and listed. Later on, the local governments will send these belongings to the places where the population is resettled.

Article 7: The type, quantity or number and value of goods and land deserted by the population will be registered in a book and the lists of abandoned properties will be drawn up for every village and district and they will be delivered to the administrative commission.

Article 8: In the case of a crop to be harvested from an abandoned field, it will be sold at auction by a council consisting of members appointed by the commission. The money received as a result of the sale will be preserved at the financial office in the name of the previous owner. A record will be prepared and its original copy will be preserved at the local government and a ratified copy given to the administrative commission.

Article 9: If no-one wishes to buy the crop, it can be sold to anyone by underbidding provided that the payment is made immediately. The money received from such sales or lease will also be delivered to the financial office I the name of the original owner.

Article 10: Representation documents for using the movable and immovable properties of the population who had been moved elsewhere are not valid if they are drawn after the departure of the original owner.

Article 11: Migrants will be resettled in evacuated villages and the existing houses and the land will be distributed to the migrants through temporary documents by taking into consideration the capacity of work and demands of the migrant families.

Article 12: The places of origin, settlement date, and resettlement places of the migrants will be registered in detail on the basis of their birth registers and by the houses they move into. Furthermore, the houses as well as the type, amount, and value of the land to them will be separately registered and the migrants will be given a document showing the quantity of land and property given to them.

Article 13: Since the migrants resettled in villages are responsible for prosecuting and preserving the houses and the fruit trees, in the case of damage, the villagers will collectively pay for the loss no matter of who is responsible. Those who repeat damaging things will be moved away from the village and their rights as migrant will cease to exist.

Article 14: Following the resettlement of the migrants, the nomads will be resettled in the remaining villages in the region and the procedures related to the resettlement of the nomads will be similar to those applied for the migrants.

Article 15: Care will be taken to resettle the migrants from the urban areas to the evacuated houses in the towns and districts and they will be given enough land in line with their financial and economic situation in the past as well as their productive power.

Article 16: Income providing buildings such as shops, inns, factories, and depots as well as the ones which are not suitable for the resettlement of all the migrants and the properties and land falling outside the scope of activities and expertise of the migrants laid down in Article 18 may be offered for sale by the administrative commission or councils consisting of local administrative and financial officials under the supervision of the commission.

Article 17: A book showing the type, quantity and value of the land distributed to the migrants as well as the names will be kept as a basis for identifying registration.

Article 18: Vineyards, orchards, olive groves and similar places in towns and villages may be distributed to those migrants in line with their needs and success. However, they must prove that they have the necessary experience, knowledge and energy and they must make immediate payment for these places. After the quantity of land are registered in a special book, the migrants enjoying this right will be given a document explaining the situation. The land which is not distributed to the migrants will be sold by public auction as indicated in Article 16.

Article 19: With the exception of the migrants sent from other provinces with a special warrant upon orders from the Ministry of Interior or with the permission and approval of local governments in the provinces, those who arrive in evacuated villages and districts as migrants and demand resettlement by submitting petitions, must produce official documents proving that they are migrants, that they have not been sent any other place or resettled elsewhere, or that they had to migrate and were sent to these places by a special order.

Article 20: The land property that no-one wants to buy, may be leased for a maximum period of two years provided that the tenant assumes responsibility for the protection and maintenance and compensation of any sort of damage and pays a pledge.

Article 21: Detailed lists will be prepared in order to show the type, quantity, place, rent, and the names of the tenants or new owners of both the sold or leased property and land by underbidding.

Article 22: The sum received as a result of the sale will be trusted to the financial offices in the name of the original owners and it will be paid to the owners according to the information to be given later.

Article 23: The Administrative Commission for Abandoned properties are responsible for the conduct of the administration of all the abandoned properties in evacuated villages and districts in line with the articles of this regulations.

Article 24: Regarding the administration of the abandoned properties, administrative commissions will be directly dependent on the Ministry of Interior and they must act within the confines of the orders issues by the Minister of Interior. The commissions must also inform the local governments about their decisions and practices.

Article 25: The applicable decrees of the regulations are subject to permission from the Ministry of Interior regarding the formation of the councils and commissions which would administer and protect the abandoned properties. It is up to the administrative commissions for abandoned properties to appoint civil servants on salary with permission from the Ministry of interior and to issue directives within the framework of these regulations. Copies of the directives thus issued will be given to the provincial governments.

Article 26: Even though the commissions and officers for migrants are assigned the task of sending migrants for resettlement in evacuated places, speeding up and arranging the process of resettlement at such places, supervising the resettlement activities in general, as well as making decisions in agreement with local governments and implementing them are among the tasks of and they fall within the scope of the authorities of the commissions for abandoned properties.

Article 27: The commission is obliged to briefly inform the ministry and the provincial government about its researches, final views, and activities every 15 days.

Article 28: The administration of the properties by the administrative commissions for abandoned properties will be conducted within the framework of the decrees of these regulations and the local civil servants will be responsible for correspondence.

Article 29: The members of the administrative commissions for abandoned properties are collectively responsible for the administration and protection of such properties and land in the region as well as for the financial procedures.

Article 30: The administrative commissions for abandoned properties consist of a specially assigned chairman and two members, one from the financial and the other from the administrative offices.

Article 31: Communications and correspondence are conducted by the chairman himself or by the name of the chairman a member elected by the chairman.

Article 32: If he deems it necessary, the chairman of the commission for abandoned properties can assign one of the members to search for, supervise, or conduct anything included in these regulations.

Article 33: The chairman for the commission of abandoned properties receives one and a half liras and members one lira each per day from the allocation for the migrants. They can also receive provision for journey when travelling in the line of duty.

Article 34: The local governments are entitled to put the decrees of these regulations into practice in the provinces for which no commission is assigned or sent.

28 May 1331 [10 June 1915]
Archive No.:1/2
Cabin No.: 109
Drawer No: 4
File No: 361
Section No: 1445
Contents No: 1-3

[1] Turkish Prime Ministry Directorate-General of Press and Information, Documents [on Ottoman Armenians], Vol. 1 [n.d.], Document no. 28, pp. 76-80.


Back to 7 March Press Release		Appendix to 7 March 2007 Gomidas Institute press release "Dr. Halacoglu (Turkish Historical Association) Claims Vital Ottoman Records on 1915 Deportation of Armenians Are Non-Existent in Turkish Archives Today: Some New Questions"

		“The Regulation Concerning the Management of the Land and Properties Belonging to Armenians Who Have Been Sent Elsewhere as a Result of the State of War and the Extraordinary Political Situation” [dated 10 June 1915][1] Article 1: The management of the land and properties belonging to Armenians who had been moved elsewhere, will be carried out in compliance with these regulations by specially formed commissions and assigned officials whose authorities are indicated in the following articles. Article 2: Following the evacuation of a village or district, all buildings with furniture and other objects belonging to the Armenians who have been sent elsewhere will immediately be sealed by the special council or civil servant appointed by the administrative commission, and taken under protection. Article 3: The type, amount, value, and the name of the owners of the goods taken under protection will be registered in a detailed way. Later on, these goods will be sent to convenient storage places such as churches, schools, and houses. Care will be taken to catalogue the goods under the names of their owners, where they are found and protected will be included in registration records, the original copy of which will be preserved at the local government and a ratified cop at the Commission for Abandoned Properties. Article 4: The movables whose owners are known, will be registered in the name of the villages where they are found and they will be preserved in the name of the village. Article 5: Of moveable goods, the ones that can become spoiled and the animals will be sold at an auction by a council to be appointed by the Commission. The money received as a result of the sale will be preserved in the name of the owner. If the name of the owner is not known, the money will be delivered to the financial office for preservation at the village or district trust where the sold property belongs. A document showing the type, amount, value and the owner’s name of the auctioned goods will be prepared and registered in a special book, and the bottom of the document will be ratified by the council conducting the auction. Furthermore, an explanatory record will be arranged, the original copy of which will be preserved at the local government and a ratified copy at the Commission for Abandoned Properties. Article 6: Care will be taken to preserve the goods, pictures and holy books found at the churches in their original places after they are registered and listed. Later on, the local governments will send these belongings to the places where the population is resettled. Article 7: The type, quantity or number and value of goods and land deserted by the population will be registered in a book and the lists of abandoned properties will be drawn up for every village and district and they will be delivered to the administrative commission. Article 8: In the case of a crop to be harvested from an abandoned field, it will be sold at auction by a council consisting of members appointed by the commission. The money received as a result of the sale will be preserved at the financial office in the name of the previous owner. A record will be prepared and its original copy will be preserved at the local government and a ratified copy given to the administrative commission. Article 9: If no-one wishes to buy the crop, it can be sold to anyone by underbidding provided that the payment is made immediately. The money received from such sales or lease will also be delivered to the financial office I the name of the original owner. Article 10: Representation documents for using the movable and immovable properties of the population who had been moved elsewhere are not valid if they are drawn after the departure of the original owner. Article 11: Migrants will be resettled in evacuated villages and the existing houses and the land will be distributed to the migrants through temporary documents by taking into consideration the capacity of work and demands of the migrant families. Article 12: The places of origin, settlement date, and resettlement places of the migrants will be registered in detail on the basis of their birth registers and by the houses they move into. Furthermore, the houses as well as the type, amount, and value of the land to them will be separately registered and the migrants will be given a document showing the quantity of land and property given to them. Article 13: Since the migrants resettled in villages are responsible for prosecuting and preserving the houses and the fruit trees, in the case of damage, the villagers will collectively pay for the loss no matter of who is responsible. Those who repeat damaging things will be moved away from the village and their rights as migrant will cease to exist. Article 14: Following the resettlement of the migrants, the nomads will be resettled in the remaining villages in the region and the procedures related to the resettlement of the nomads will be similar to those applied for the migrants. Article 15: Care will be taken to resettle the migrants from the urban areas to the evacuated houses in the towns and districts and they will be given enough land in line with their financial and economic situation in the past as well as their productive power. Article 16: Income providing buildings such as shops, inns, factories, and depots as well as the ones which are not suitable for the resettlement of all the migrants and the properties and land falling outside the scope of activities and expertise of the migrants laid down in Article 18 may be offered for sale by the administrative commission or councils consisting of local administrative and financial officials under the supervision of the commission. Article 17: A book showing the type, quantity and value of the land distributed to the migrants as well as the names will be kept as a basis for identifying registration. Article 18: Vineyards, orchards, olive groves and similar places in towns and villages may be distributed to those migrants in line with their needs and success. However, they must prove that they have the necessary experience, knowledge and energy and they must make immediate payment for these places. After the quantity of land are registered in a special book, the migrants enjoying this right will be given a document explaining the situation. The land which is not distributed to the migrants will be sold by public auction as indicated in Article 16. Article 19: With the exception of the migrants sent from other provinces with a special warrant upon orders from the Ministry of Interior or with the permission and approval of local governments in the provinces, those who arrive in evacuated villages and districts as migrants and demand resettlement by submitting petitions, must produce official documents proving that they are migrants, that they have not been sent any other place or resettled elsewhere, or that they had to migrate and were sent to these places by a special order. Article 20: The land property that no-one wants to buy, may be leased for a maximum period of two years provided that the tenant assumes responsibility for the protection and maintenance and compensation of any sort of damage and pays a pledge. Article 21: Detailed lists will be prepared in order to show the type, quantity, place, rent, and the names of the tenants or new owners of both the sold or leased property and land by underbidding. Article 22: The sum received as a result of the sale will be trusted to the financial offices in the name of the original owners and it will be paid to the owners according to the information to be given later. Article 23: The Administrative Commission for Abandoned properties are responsible for the conduct of the administration of all the abandoned properties in evacuated villages and districts in line with the articles of this regulations. Article 24: Regarding the administration of the abandoned properties, administrative commissions will be directly dependent on the Ministry of Interior and they must act within the confines of the orders issues by the Minister of Interior. The commissions must also inform the local governments about their decisions and practices. Article 25: The applicable decrees of the regulations are subject to permission from the Ministry of Interior regarding the formation of the councils and commissions which would administer and protect the abandoned properties. It is up to the administrative commissions for abandoned properties to appoint civil servants on salary with permission from the Ministry of interior and to issue directives within the framework of these regulations. Copies of the directives thus issued will be given to the provincial governments. Article 26: Even though the commissions and officers for migrants are assigned the task of sending migrants for resettlement in evacuated places, speeding up and arranging the process of resettlement at such places, supervising the resettlement activities in general, as well as making decisions in agreement with local governments and implementing them are among the tasks of and they fall within the scope of the authorities of the commissions for abandoned properties. Article 27: The commission is obliged to briefly inform the ministry and the provincial government about its researches, final views, and activities every 15 days. Article 28: The administration of the properties by the administrative commissions for abandoned properties will be conducted within the framework of the decrees of these regulations and the local civil servants will be responsible for correspondence. Article 29: The members of the administrative commissions for abandoned properties are collectively responsible for the administration and protection of such properties and land in the region as well as for the financial procedures. Article 30: The administrative commissions for abandoned properties consist of a specially assigned chairman and two members, one from the financial and the other from the administrative offices. Article 31: Communications and correspondence are conducted by the chairman himself or by the name of the chairman a member elected by the chairman. Article 32: If he deems it necessary, the chairman of the commission for abandoned properties can assign one of the members to search for, supervise, or conduct anything included in these regulations. Article 33: The chairman for the commission of abandoned properties receives one and a half liras and members one lira each per day from the allocation for the migrants. They can also receive provision for journey when travelling in the line of duty. Article 34: The local governments are entitled to put the decrees of these regulations into practice in the provinces for which no commission is assigned or sent. 28 May 1331 [10 June 1915] Archive No.:1/2 Cabin No.: 109 Drawer No: 4 File No: 361 Section No: 1445 Contents No: 1-3 [1] Turkish Prime Ministry Directorate-General of Press and Information, Documents [on Ottoman Armenians], Vol. 1 [n.d.], Document no. 28, pp. 76-80.

		NOTES, STUDIES AND PROJECTS