Sofia Sanjak in the XVI century (1520-1580)

The aim of this study is to reveal the demographic, financial and economic structure of Sofia Sanjak in the 16th Century. For this purpose, cadastral record books were used as the main source. The reason why cadastral record books are determined as the main source is that they contain social, economic and demographic data of the Ottoman Empire. Apart from the cadastral registers, it was supported by the "mühimme" (record book of the important political, military, social and economic events in the Ottoman Empire, kept by the supreme court), "nişan" (achievement book), "ruus"(the record book of all employees who were paid during the Ottoman Empire) and "ahkam" (judgment book) register. In the introductory part of the study, which consists of sixchapters, the information is given about the name of Sofia, its geographical location, its history, its conquest by the Ottomans and the main sources on which the study is based. In the second part, there is the information about the Turkish-Islamic works in Sofia, the churches and monasteries in the city before the conquest and the foundations established in the cities under the Ottoman rule. In the third chapter, the demographic structure of Sofia Sanjak is emphasized and the religious distribution of the population living in the city and rural areas is mentioned. While Muslims constitute the majority of the population living in cities, the population living in rural areas is composed of non-Muslims. In the fourth chapter, the economic structure of the sanjak is discussed. The information was given about the economic activities carried out in cities and rural areas, commonly produced products and the taxes collected from these products. Industrial facilities located in the starboard are also other titles mentioned. In the fifth chapter, the sultan's privates, zeamet and timars, which are within the scope of the military structure, are given and theconsideration about the military organization is mentioned. In the last part, the mines in Sofia are mentioned. Sofia Sanjak maintained its central position in Rumelia during the period it was under the administration of the Ottoman State. It was used as a base for expeditions to Europe. As a result of the tolerant policy of the Ottoman Empire in the Balkans, Sofia was defined as"The Blessed Sofia". In short, a panorama of the 16th Century Sofia has been drawn. Keywords: Ottoman Empire, Rumelia, Balkans, Sofia Sanjak, The 16th Century