Hama in the Ottoman administration (1516-1600)

Hama which was established on the middle region of Syria, on an important location that is on the road which connects Aleppo to Damascus and on the side of Orantes river is one of the oldest cities of the geography of Syria. Very little information is known about the period of Selevkî, Roman period, Byzantine period and early Islamic period of the city. Hama was taken by the Muslims in the year of 636 after the Aramaic and Assyrian hegemony, after that it was taken by Hamdanids, Zengides, Ayyubids and Mamluks respectively. During the Egypt expedition of Sultan Selim The Stern, in the year of 1516, Hama came under the domination of Ottomans after that it was organized as a sanjaq. With in the first years of the sultanate of Suleiman The Magnificent, Hama and Homs were united thus they turned into a single sanjaq status. However after a short period of time, they were separated and each of them was organized as a separate sanjaq. After Hama's take over by the Ottomans from Mamluks, Ottomans continued majorly the land order and taxation method that was connected to the land order which were applied by them in Hama without any important changes. Ottomans just removed and lightened some taxes. However as from the mid of the 16th century, for Hama sanjaq classical Ottoman taxation system was applied, just like sanjaqs in Anatolia and Rumelia. Hama was established on the side of Orantes river, this fact ensured development of the sanjaq with regards to agricultural activities and its locations' importance kept the commercial activity of the city continuously alive. Keywords: Hama, Sheizer, Masyaf, Maarrat, Homs, Barin, sanjaq, sanjaqbegi, province, governor, province government.