Ankara Vilayet

Vilâyet-i Ankara
Vilayet of the Ottoman Empire
← 1867–1922 →
Ankara Vilayet in 1890
Capital		Ankara[1]
History
•	Established	1867
•	Disestablished	1922
Population
•	Muslim, 1914[2]	877,285
•	Greek, 1914[2]	20,240
•	Armenian, 1914[2]	51,556
Today part of		Turkey

The Vilayet of Ankara or Angora^[3] was a first-level administrative division (vilayet) of the Ottoman Empire, centered on the city of Ankara in north-central Anatolia, which included most of ancient Galatia.

Demographics

At the beginning of the 20th century it reportedly had an area of 32,339 square miles (83,760 km²), while the preliminary results of the first Ottoman census of 1885 (published in 1908) gave the population as 892,901.^[4] The accuracy of the population figures ranges from "approximate" to "merely conjectural" depending on the region from which they were gathered.^[4] As of 1920, the population was described as being mainly Muslim from Turkey, and Armenian Christians.^[5]

Economy

It was an agricultural country, depending for its prosperity on its grain, wool and the mohair obtained from the Angora goats.^[1] An important industry was carpet-weaving at Kırşehir and Kayseri.^[1] There were mines of silver, copper, lignite and salt, and many hot springs, including some of great repute medicinally.^[1] Rock salt and fuller's earth was also mined in the area.^[6]

Weaving was a popular industry in the vilayet but declined after the introduction of the railroad, where locals would export wool and mohair instead of weaving it. A small carpet industry was also found in the region in the early 20th century.^[7]

Administrative divisions

Sanjaks of the Vilayet:^[8]

1. Sanjak of Ankara (Ankara, Ayaş, Beypazarı, Sivrihisar, Çubuk, Nallıhan, Haymana, Kızılcahamam, Mihalıççık, Balâ, Kalecik)
2. Sanjak of Bozok (Yozgat, Akdağmadeni, Boğazlıyan)
3. Sanjak of Kayseri (Kayseri, Develi, İncesu)
4. Sanjak of Kırsehir (Kırşehir, Mucur, Hacıbektaş, Keskin, Çiçekdağı, Avanos)
5. Sanjak of Çorum (Çorum, Osmancık, Kargı, Sungurlu, İskilip)

References

1.  Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Angora". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
2. "1914 Census Statistics" (PDF). Turkish General Staff. pp. 605–606. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 October 2011. Retrieved 29 January 2011.
3. Geographical Dictionary of the World, p. 1796, at Google Books
4. Asia by A. H. Keane, page 459
5. Prothero, G.W. (1920). Anatolia. London: H.M. Stationery Office.
6. Prothero, G.W. (1920). Anatolia. London: H.M. Stationery Office. p. 107.
7. Prothero, G.W. (1920). Anatolia. London: H.M. Stationery Office. p. 112.
8. Ankara Vilayeti | Tarih ve Medeniyet

External links

•  Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Angora". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
• Media related to Ankara Vilayet at Wikimedia Commons