The book titled 1864 Vilayet Nizamnamesi (The 1864 Vilayet Regulation) is a compilation that examines the historical, legal, and administrative dimensions of the 1864 regulation that transformed Ottoman provincial governance through a multidisciplinary approach. Edited by Erkan Tural and Selim Çapar and published by the Turkish Administrative Research Foundation, the book is a collection of papers presented at an international symposium organized to mark the 150th anniversary of the regulation. Offering a historical and theoretical framework, the work addresses the impact of centralist reforms on the administrative structure, the establishment of the vilayet system, and the practical implications of the regulation. It serves as a fundamental resource for studies on public administration, Ottoman history, and local governance.

The book consists of four main sections. The first section examines the civil administrative structure of the Ottoman classical period. The second section focuses on the drafting of the 1864 Provincial Regulation, the changes it introduced to provincial administration, its implementation in the Danube Province, and the influence of the French administrative model on Ottoman reforms. The third section analyzes how the regulation was applied in various regions such as Anatolia, Palestine, and Bulgaria. The final section discusses the administrative continuities and transformations that extended into the Republican era. Additionally, the appendix includes the full texts of six different provincial regulations issued between 1861 and 1871.

Contents of the Book

Part I – The Civil Administration in the Ottoman Classical Period

• Geza David – Beylerbeyilik and Provincial Administration in the Ottoman Classical Period
• (Geza David – Osmanlı Klasik Döneminde Beylerbeyilik ve Eyalet İdaresi)
• Fahrettin Başar – Civil Administration during the Foundation Period of the Ottoman State
• (Fahrettin Başar – Osmanlı Devleti’nin Kuruluş Devrinde Mülki İdare)
• Rhoads Murphey – Center-Periphery Relations in the Ottoman State
• (Rhoads Murphey – Osmanlı Devleti’nde Merkez-Taşra İlişkileri)

Part II – The Civil Administration in the Ottoman Provinces According to the 1864 Regulation

• Ayla Efe – From Revenue Collectors to Provincial Administrators: The Opening Path to Provincial Governance
• (Ayla Efe – Taşra Yönetimine Muhasıllıktan Açılan Kapı)
• Mehmet Seyitdanlıoğlu – The Danube Province Regulation
• (Mehmet Seyitdanlıoğlu – Tuna Vilayeti Nizamnamesi)
• Cenk Reyhan – Administrative Councils in the Provincial Regulations of 1864–1871: The Problem of Establishing a "Uniform Governance Model" in the Ottoman Provinces
• (Cenk Reyhan – 1864-1871 Vilayet Nizamnamelerinde İdare Meclisleri: Osmanlı Taşrasında “Birörnek Yönetim Modeli”nin Kuruluş Sorunu)
• Erkan Tural – The French Influence in the Ottoman Provinces: Was Napoleon III Behind the 1864 Regulation?
• (Erkan Tural – Osmanlı Taşrasında Fransa Etkisi – 1864 Nizamnamesi’nin Arkasında III. Napolyon mu Vardı?)
• Metin Ünver – The Impact of Provincial Regulations on the Ottoman Empire’s Administrative Division (1864–1876)
• (Metin Ünver – Vilayet Nizamnamelerinin Osmanlı Devleti’nin İdari Taksimatına Etkileri (1864–1876))
• Abdülhamit Kırmızı – "In Need of Clarification and Interpretation": The Legislative Complexity in Ottoman Provincial Administration
• (Abdülhamit Kırmızı – “Muhtac-ı Tavzih ve Tefsir”: Osmanlı Vilayet İdaresinde Mevzuat Karmaşası)

Part III – The 1864 Provincial Regulation and the Ottoman Periphery

• Musa Çadırcı – Implementation of the 1864 Provincial Regulation in the Anatolian Region
• (Musa Çadırcı – 1864 Vilayet Nizamnamesi’nin Anadolu Coğrafyasında Uygulanması)
• Mahmoud Yazbak – The Vilayets Law and Its Impact on Palestine
• (Mahmoud Yazbak – The Vilayets Law and Its Impact on Palestine)
• Margarita Dobreva – The "Let’s Go to School" Campaign in the Danube Province! How Were Educational Reforms Implemented in the Provinces? The Case of Secondary Schools (Rüşdiye)
• (Margarita Dobreva – Tuna Vilayeti’nde “Haydi Okula” Kampanyası! Taşrada Eğitim Reformları Nasıl Yürütülüyordu? Rüşdiyeler Örneği)
• Teodora Bakardjieva – Crime and Punishment in the Danube Province (1865–1877)
• (Teodora Bakardjieva – Tuna Vilayeti’nde Suç ve Ceza (1865–1877))
• Orlin Sabev – From Central Media to Local Media: Provincial Printing Houses and Publications
• (Orlin Sabev – Merkezi Medya’dan Yerel Medya’ya: Vilayet Matbaaları ve Yayınları)
• Teodor Mitev – The Establishment and Operations of the Danube Province Printing House (1865–1877)
• (Teodor Mitev – Tuna Vilayet Matbaasının Kurulması ve Faaliyetleri (1865–1877))

Part IV – From the 1864 Provincial Regulation to the Present

• Orhan Gökçe, Gülise Gökçe, Selim Çapar – The Relationship between Civil Administration and Society
• (Orhan Gökçe, Gülise Gökçe, Selim Çapar – Mülki İdare ve Toplum İlişkisi)
• Enver Salihoğlu – From the Provincial Regulation to the Present: The Special Provincial Administration
• (Enver Salihoğlu – Vilayet Nizamnamesinden Günümüze İl Özel İdaresi)
• Nuray Ertürk Keskin – The Debate on Administrative Scale: From the Provincial Regulation to the Republic
• (Nuray Ertürk Keskin – Vilayet Nizamnamesinden Cumhuriyet’e Yönetsel Ölçek Tartışması)
• Ali Fidan – From the Ministry of Interior to the Present: The General Directorate of Provincial Administration
• (Ali Fidan – Dahiliye Nezareti’nden Günümüze İller İdaresi Genel Müdürlüğü)
• H. Hüseyin Can – Administrative Councils from the Provincial Regulation to the Present
• (H. Hüseyin Can – Vilayet Nizamnamesinden Günümüze İdare Kurulları)
• Şafak Başa – Comparing the Development Stages of the Ministry of Interior and Provincial Administration from the Ottoman Period to the Present
• (Şafak Başa – Osmanlı’dan Günümüze İçişleri Bakanlığı ile Taşra Yönetiminin Gelişim Evrelerinin Karşılaştırılması)
• Ömer Toraman – Changes in Administrative Division at the District Level Following the Provincial Regulation
• (Ömer Toraman – Kaza Ekseninde Vilayet Nizamnamesi ile Mülki Taksimatta Meydana Gelen Değişim)
• Sait Aşgın – The Provincial Regulation and the Civil Administration System
• (Sait Aşgın – Vilayet Nizamnamesi ve Mülki İdare Sistemi)
• Orhan Gökçe, Gülise Gökçe, Selim Çapar, Şükrü Yıldırım – Changes in the Identity Perception of Civil Administration Officials over the Last Decade
• (Orhan Gökçe, Gülise Gökçe, Selim Çapar, Şükrü Yıldırım – Son On Yılda Mülki İdare Amirlerinin Kimlik Algısındaki Değişim)
• Koray Karasu – Establishing the Administrative Link with Property: The Process of Bureaucratic Professionalization (Mülkileşme)
• (Koray Karasu – İdarenin Mülkle Bağının Kurulması: Mülkileşme)