Bitlis Mosques and Masjids in 16th Century Land Registry Books

Mosques and masjids are locations where Muslims gather for praying. At earlier times, the term “cami” (mosque) is used only for large mosques where Friday prayers are performed whereas masjids are smaller than mosques and have no “minbar” and therefore Friday prayers cannot be performed. From the time of its emergence, the Ottoman Empire gave priority to building mosques and architectural works in conquered cities in order to instil the Turkish-Islamic culture and to ensure its permanence. The city of Bitlis that is the subject of the study was registered in 1540 and 1571 after it became part of the Ottoman Empire and the results of this registration were recorded in detailed registry books. In these books, waqfs in the city and their income, the officials working for these waqfs and their wages, the real estates, movable properties of these waqfs as well as annual incomes received were all recorded in detail. In this study; the mosques and masjids registered in Bitlis land registry books for the years 1540 and 1571 have been examined and the findings are presented