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Dr.
Deniz KARAMAN |
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Several mukataa in the district of Ankara in the 18th century that were transformed into mālikāne (or were sold as mālikāne) are investigated in this article. Generally, a mukataa was a state-owned source of revenue or a source of tax revenue for the treasury. Activities such as customs and ihtisāb (supervision of guilds and markets) where a share of the income belonged to the state, that is the collection of taxes; the right to operate establishments that had become monopolies such as mints and candle factories; and in particular sales monopolies, such as the sale of minerals/metals could all be mukataa. While commercial and industrial management were the first to fall into the category of mukataa, in periods when the treasury was in financial difficulty, when high-revenue producing timar and zeamet were vacant the practice of farming them out (iltizām) was started. By the gradual creation of new taxes the field of tax-farming was expanded. What were the payments made to the state in the administration mālikāne (state lands held for life by a private owner)? First of all was the advance payment known as muaccele made at the conclusion of an agreement; in fact this advance payment that would eliminate financial straits was the most important reason for this practice The starting price at auction was based on a muaccele value two to ten times the average profit that the mukataa owner would obtain, as determined by the state. In addition to this, there was a yearly payment on anything designated as property and office fees of up to 20% of the property's value. After the sale all financial rights, in addition to partial administrative and disciplinary rights passed to the mālikāne; no official other than a qadi could interfere. The žeriye siciller (registers kept by qadis) provide information on both the subject of mālikāne, as well as the conflicts among them. |
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