The Emergency of the Modern Municipality Organization in Cyprus (1868-1876)

Abstract

Up to 1850s the municipal works in the Ottoman Empire were carried out by the local afficials, such as Kadı, Muhtesip and İhtisap Ağası. The municipality term occurred in the Tanzimat period and gained its modern meaning in present-day. The first step was taken to establish a municipality organization in the capital of the Empire, by making a by-laws called Altıncı Daire-i Belediye Nizamâtı in 1857 and Nizâm-ı Umûmi in 1858, and the municipality of Galata and Beyoğlu was set up. The year 1867 witnessed a new by-law entitled Vilayâtta Devâir-i Belediye Meclislerinin Vezâif-i Umûmiyyesi Hakkında Talimat and this regulation brought about the establishment of the municipal organization in the Ottoman provinces. Cyprus was one of the first places where the modern municipalities were founded during the Tanzimat period after above mentioned regulations. Then, this research seeks to reveal when and how the first municipalities were formed in Cyprus and to contribute to the studies related to Tanzimat period and the history of the municipalities in the Ottoman Empire.