The issue of Tax Exemption for Foreign Church Lands in Ottoman Jerusalem

Jerusalem was the city where the activities of the imperial powers were most explicitly felt by the Ottoman State. The city that was recognised by the three divine religions, turned to become a symbolic place for the struggle over sovereignty in the 19th century for the world. The main tools of this struggle were the churches and monasteries built by non-Ottoman citizens namely non-Muslims/foreigners, on lands taken close to their holy sites. The churches and monasteries were built by European states through applying political pressure on the Ottomans. Overtime, those in charge of these churches and monasteries aimed to use the same influence to attain more privileges. The first of these concessions was related to the issue of tax exemption for the lands and properties belonging to the churches and monasteries. This study examines these requests by churches and monasteries and the response of the Ottoman state. The primary sources used for this research were the Ottoman Archival sources