Aleppo Judgment Book No. 2 (pages 1-100)

The Aleppo Judgement (Ahkam) Book no. 2, which we have prepared, covers the subjects and documents between the years of Hijri 1164 - 1168 / Gregorian 1751 - 1755. very important information about the social history of Aleppo was obtained, and original information about the events that took place in this period was included in the examined documents. Aleppo, which has various rumors about the origin of its name, has strategic importance due to its location. Aleppo was established at the center of the trade routes from Anatolia to Mesopotamia and from the Mediterranean to Iran. Due to this special feature, it has attracted the attention of many states since the earliest times of history, on the one hand it was enriched by trade, on the other hand, it was exposed to looting and destruction. In the 18th century, the population of the State of Aleppo was around 100,000 - 120,000. Considering total population ratio, it can be predicted that the average number of people in a household in Aleppo is around 7. It is known that there were 157 profession guilds in the middle of this century. Most of the people of Aleppo made their living by working in the market places. In this period, we see that the ayan (elite people of society) group that emerged in the Ottoman lands was also present in Aleppo and was effective in the administration. Those who constituted this ayan group were in conflict among themselves. Aleppo and its surroundings, which are on an important route, faced various disturbing events such as banditry, theft, etc. during this period. The Judgement book is the name given to the records in which a copy of the judgments that come out of the Dîvân-ı Hümâyûn (supreme court in ottoman empire) and which include the results of the lawsuits containing various subjects are recorded. These provisions were prepared in the name of the sultan and the summary was written in these books.