Angora vilayet

For other uses, see Ankara (disambiguation).

The Vilayet of Angora^[2] (Ottoman Turkish: ولايت آنقره, romanized: Vilâyet-i Ankara) or Ankara was a first-level administrative division (vilayet) of the Ottoman Empire, centered on the city of Angora (Ankara) in north-central Anatolia, which included most of ancient Galatia.

ولايت آنقره Vilâyet-i Ânḳara
Vilayet of the Ottoman Empire
1867–1922
The Angora Vilayet in 1890
Capital	Angora (Ankara)[1]
History
• Vilayet Law	1867
• Disestablished	1922
Preceded by Succeeded by Ankara Eyalet Turkey
Today part of	Turkey

Demographics

At the beginning of the 20th century it reportedly had an area of 32,339 square miles (83,760 km²), while the preliminary results of the first Ottoman census of 1885 (published in 1908) gave the population as 892,901.^[3] The accuracy of the population figures ranges from "approximate" to "merely conjectural" depending on the region from which they were gathered.^[3] As of 1920, The population of Angora Vilayat is consisted mostly Muslim Turks . Also Armenian Minority was exist .

Economy

It was an agricultural country, depending for its prosperity on its grain, wool and the mohair obtained from the Angora goats.^[1] An important industry was carpet-weaving at Kırşehir and Kayseri.^[1] There were mines of silver, copper, lignite and salt, and many hot springs, including some of great repute medicinally.^[1] Rock salt and fuller's earth was also mined in the area.^[4]

Weaving was a popular industry in the vilayet but declined after the introduction of the railroad, where locals would export wool and mohair instead of weaving it. A small carpet industry was also found in the region in the early 20th century.^[5]

Administrative divisions

Map of subdivisions of Angora Vilayet in 1907

Sanjaks of the Vilayet:^[6]

1. Sanjak of Ankara (Ankara, Ayaş, Beypazarı, Sivrihisar, Çubuk, Nallıhan, Haymana, Kızılcahamam, Mihalıççık, Balâ, Kalecik)
2. Sanjak of Bozok (Yozgat, Akdağmadeni, Boğazlıyan)
3. Sanjak of Kayseri (Kayseri, Develi, İncesu)
4. Sanjak of Kırşehir (Kırşehir, Mucur, Hacıbektaş, Keskin, Çiçekdağı, Avanos)
5. Sanjak of Çorum (Çorum, Osmancık, Kargı, Sungurlu, İskilip)