Abstract
The Kadı registers, like many written sources of Ottoman record-keeping, are important sources for historical research on Ottoman urban and housing history. These records also include research potential in terms of taking into account different cases together. The purpose of this article is to reveal this potential for architects and architectural historians. To do this, for four different regions of Istanbul – Istanbul (Suriçi), Eyüp, Galata and Usküdar – legal matters that arose in four periods in the 17th century have been studied in detail. This study has included many cases involving different housing issues, such as sales, mortgage (rehin) or temporary sales of houses as collateral (bey bi'l vefa/bey bi'l istiğlal), inheritance of property, tenancy of houses, granting ownership rights (hibe), establishment of waqf (charitable) foundations and cost estimation of housing repairs. In turn, discussions about the houses in different contexts that were recorded in the courts during the 17th century have been revealed. Within the scope of the article, these cases about the houses and the data obtained from this material is introduced to researchers. In this way, a substructure is prepared for new discussions, comparative reviews, analyses and research in the field of housing during the Ottoman period in Istanbul.
