Basra Eyalet

See also: Al-Muntafiq

Basra Eyalet (Arabic: إيالة البصرة, Ottoman Turkish: ایالت بصره, romanized: Eyālet-i Baṣrâ)^[1] was an eyalet of the Ottoman Empire. Its reported area in the 19th century was 9,872 square miles (25,570 km²).^[2] It had a Defterdar and Kehiya of the Chavushes but neither Alai-beg nor Cheribashi because there were no ziamets or Timars, the lands being all rented by the governor.^[3]

Arabic: إيالة البصرة Ottoman Turkish: ایالت بصره
Eyalet of the Ottoman Empire
1538–1862
The Basra Eyalet in 1609
Capital	Basra
History
• Established	1538
• Disestablished	1862
Preceded by Succeeded by Safavid dynasty Basra Vilayet
Today part of	Iraq

History

Basra had formerly a hereditary government (mulkiat), but it was reduced to an ordinary eyalet when conquered by Sultan Mehmed IV.^[3] In 1534, when the Ottomans captured Baghdad, Rashid al-Mughamis, the Bedouin emir who then controlled Basra, submitted to Ottomans.^[4] Basra became an Ottoman province in 1538,^[5] and an Ottoman governor was appointed by 1546.^[4] The eyalet was later subordinated to Baghdad during the Mamluk dynasty of Iraq, and was separated from Baghdad again from 1850 to 1862.^[6]

Administrative divisions

The eyalet of Basra consisted of the following sanjaks in 1702:^[7]

1. Sanjak of Basra (Seat of the Pasha)
2. Sanjak of Kıyab
3. Sanjak of Badiye
4. Sanjak of Sabusne, Gaffât, Mensûr and Batna
5. Sanjak of Seremle
6. Sanjak of Şuş
7. Sanjak of Gazan, Resle and Safiyye
8. Sanjak of Ceğar

See also

• Safavid occupation of Basra (1697–1701)