Palestine, Ottoman Census and Population Registers, 1876-1917

What is in This Collection?

This collection contains population registers kept by the Ottoman Empire from 1878 to 1917. During this time Palestine was arranged into ten districts. After World War I these registers were left behind by the Turks and collected by the British Administration. Many of the registers have been lost over time. In 1948, the registers were transferred to to the government of Israel and deposited with the Israel State Archives.

From a finding aid published by the Israel State Archives: "Ottoman law required registration of births, deaths, marriages, divorces and changes of address. Men of military age were listed particularly during World War I. Foreign nationals residing in Palestine were also listed. Most of the the registers are based on the censuses carried out in 1884, 1905, 1911, and 1915. Space was left at the end of the entries for subsequent up-dating. Many of the registers contains such entries in the years following the censuses."[1]

Each district includes cities (divided into neighborhoods), towns, and villages in present day Israel/Palestine, and parts of Jordan and Egypt. Registration within each locality is according to religious affiliation. The localities identified in this collection are:

This collection includes several types of registers.

• Preliminary registers - data from the 1905 census, which may have been subsequently added to, including: name of city, village, head of household, occupation, religion, birth date and place, marital status, military service, etc.
• Basic registers - similar to the preliminary registers, but generally more exact and complete, with subsequent data added
• Early population registers - prior to 1905
• Registers of births, marriages, divorces, deaths and changes of address
• Registers of men of military age - from World War I
• Register of foreigners - includes clergy, government officials, residents of educational and charitable institutions
• Mukhtar's (village chieftan) Registers - handwritten records compiled by community officials

A descriptive catalog for this collection can be found on Film 1212838, DGS 8214019.

Additional records and/or images may be added to this collection in the future.

Reading These Records

These records are written in Ottoman Turkish, which used an Arabic-derived script and incorporated many words from Arabic and Persian. Most of the personal, familial, and place names in the registers are Arab.

The handwriting of the scribes who wrote the registers presents and additional challenge to understanding these records. Common Names in the Ottoman Nufus Defteri Records (PDF) is a detailed but unexhaustive guide of common personal names in the records. It includes images of sample handwriting to assist in identifying these names elsewhere in the registers.

What Can These Records Tell Me?

The following information may be found in these records:

Collection Content

Sample Images

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  Nablus (District) Early population register no. 352 - Moslem 1881

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  Mukhtar's book, 1902-1903, Rosh Pinna, Safed district

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  Basic register, no. 37 Yisraeliya, Jerusalem, 1905-1916