Ottoman Bedouin policy (1840–1918): Al-Jazirah belt

This research explores the Ottoman Empire's policies toward Bedouin groups in Al-Jazirah Belt (The region surrounding the Tigris and Euphrates rivers) between 1840 and 1918. The modernization, centralization, and standardization efforts that gained momentum during the Tanzimat era reshaped Ottoman administrators' perceptions and practices toward Bedouin groups in the desert regions of the Arab provinces. Consequently, the Ottoman bureaucracy regarded the Bedouins as representatives of an anomalous sociopolitical status, while their nomadic way of life was perceived as backward from a civilizational standpoint. Over time, this perception became institutionalized, leading Ottoman administrators to label Bedouin groups using terms such as Eşkıyâ-yı Urbân (Bedouin Bandits) and Aşâir-i Vahşiye (Savage Tribes), portraying them simultaneously as a security threat and as communities requiring civilizational reform. Within these discourses, Bedouins were framed as sources of unrest and barriers to societal progress and economic development. Based on this perspective, various military, administrative, cultural, and legal policies were formulated to eliminate Bedouins' perceived threats and eradicate the Bedouin nomadic lifestyle. These policies aimed to strengthen the Ottoman Empire's control over desert regions and integrate Bedouin communities into the Ottoman administrative framework. These policies, initiated during the Tanzimat era, were pursued through the reign of Sultan Abdulhamid II and the Second Constitutional Era, despite the state's limited resources and the resistance of Bedouin groups, and maintained even as the shifting priorities caused by World War I. This research examines Ottoman Bedouin policies within the framework of center-periphery relations, relying primarily on Ottoman archival documents. Employing the methods of -Historical- Process Tracing and Textually-Oriented Discourse Analysis, it seeks to uncover the mechanisms of control and integration within Ottoman Bedouin policies. Keywords: Ottoman Bedouin Policy, Al-Jazirah Belt, Eşkıyâ-yı Urbân, Aşâir-i Vahşiye, Control Policies, Integration Policies.