TERMINOLOGY
amele taburlari Labor battalions; in World War I Armenians in the Ottoman army were most often placed in these and later killed.
bashibozuk Irregular soldier (fighter not in regulararmy).
chete Member of a fighting band or irregular fighting force, member of an organized killing squad.
dhimmi Or zimmi; Jew, Christian, and member of other religions tolerated by Islam within territory ruled by Muslims.
gâvur Or giavour; infidel, unbeliever, heathen, non-Muslim; with negative connotations.
hümayun Or hümayoun; royal or imperial, as in hatt-i hümayun, royal edict or decree of sultan.
muhajir Emigrant, fugitive, refugee; frequently used before World War I for Muslims who emigrated from the Balkans to other parts of the Ottoman Empire.
shari’a Islamic religious law which guides the entire life of Muslims, based on the Q’uran, the sayings and acts of Muhammad, analogy, consensus, and judicial opinion.
Sublime Porte Office of the Ottoman Grand Vizier.
Teshkilât-i Mahsusa Literally “Special Organization” consisting mostly of convicted felons controlled by Enver Pasha and used during World War I in the Armenian Genocide as well as against Ottoman Arabs and Greeks, and in expeditions outside the Ottoman Empire.
zaptiye Military police.
|
Government Administrative Divisions and Officials |
|
|
vilayet |
Ottoman province. |
|
vali |
Governor of a vilayet. |
|
sanjak |
Ottoman county or subprovince. |
|
mutasarrif |
Governor of a sanjak. |
|
kaza or kaymakamlik |
Ottoman district. |
|
kaymakam |
Governor of a kaza or kaymakamlik. |
|
nahiye |
Ottoman subdistrict or group of villages. |
PLACE-NAME VARIANTS
Primary usage in book: Variant spellings, or transliterated versions from other languages (Armenian, Turkish, Azerbaijani, English, Soviet/Russian).
|
Alexandropol |
Leninakan, Giumri |
|
Amasia |
Amasya |
|
Ankara |
Angora |
|
Deir el-Zor |
Der Zor, Deyr uz-Zor, Deyr ul-Zor |
|
Diyarbekir |
Diarbekir, Diyarbakir |
|
Egin |
Agn, Akn |
|
Elizavetpol |
Elisavetpol, Gandzak, Kirovabad, Ganja |
|
Erzurum |
Erzerum, Garin, Karin |
|
Lake Göljük |
Lake Hazargölü |
|
Hajin |
Hadjin, Hachin, Saimbeyli |
|
Harput |
Kharpert Kharberd, Mamuretü’l-Aziz, Elazig |
|
Kayseri |
Caesarea, Gesaria, Kesaria |
|
Konia |
Konya |
|
Malatia |
Malatya |
|
Marsovan |
Merzifon |
|
Mezre |
(Capital of Harput province) Mezreh, Elazig |
|
Moush |
Mush |
|
Sasun |
Sasoon, Sassoon, Sassoun, Sasoun |
|
Sivas |
Sepasdia, Sebastia |
|
Trebizond |
Trabzon |
|
Urfa |
Ourfa, Shanliurfa |
|
Zeitun |
Zeitoun, Zeytun, Süleymanli |
A NOTE ON USAGE
Wherever possible I have used English-language equivalents for words and place-names rather than direct transliteration (e.g., Etchmiadzin instead of Echmiadzin, or catholicos instead of gatoghigos).
Frequently, English versions of place names are those used by contemporary American or British writers. When an alternative version has been chosen, quotations maintain the original spellings of the writers.
Turkish words have been spelled with the English alphabet for ease of access to readers of English, so that certain letters of the Turkish alphabet have been converted or modified (e.g., ç = ch, c = j,ş = sh, 1 = i, ğ = g). Several vowels with diacriticals in Turkish have been maintained (ö, ü).
Transliteration tables have been only roughly followed, the guiding goal being to provide accessible and phonetic versions of foreign terms and names.