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374 Erdal Taşbaş

immigrants wanted to be settled in Syria. Since it was expected that
other immigrants would also come, the governorship asked the gov-
ernment’s opinion on the settlement decision. In the reply given by the
government to the Province of Syria, it was stated that it would be
appropriate to send Tunisian immigrants to Mersin and Yumurtalık
instead of Syria, as they were thought better able to adapt to the cli-
mate conditions. However, in the document to the decision of the im-
migrants, the government ordered the settlement procedures to be
made according . It is thought that the settlements were made here
46
because the migrants’ preference was Syria.
In 1910, on the other hand, the Ottoman Government took early
precautions for citizenship. The Ottoman government had taken the
necessary precautions for the settlement and various problems of the
immigrants who would set off from Algeria and Tunisia to the Ottoman
lands in the summer. The Ministry of Internal Affairs, sent instruc-
tions on the 3 of July 1910 to the governor of Libya, from where the
rd
immigrants whose resettlement was decided to be made in Beirut and
Syria, and ordered the arrivals to be transferred to the settlement ar-
eas in case they accepted to became Ottoman citizens. Among these
immigrants, those who accepted Ottoman citizenship were sent to Bei-
rut and Syria for settlement .
47
Another record of Ottoman citizenship concerning Tunisian immi-
grants in Syria is from 1911. According to the decision taken in May
1911, the Algerians who settled in the Ottoman lands would not be re-
garded as Ottoman citizens, regardless of their period of residence. In
order for these immigrants to become Ottoman citizens, they must sub-
mit a petition to the Ottoman government and the French consulate on
their renunciation of French citizenship. The government has informed
the Tunisian and Algerian immigrants in Syria that they can acquire Ot-
toman citizenship only after these procedures are completed .
48
It is almost impossible to identify all Tunisian immigrants who set-
tled in Syria during the Ottoman period from the documents. However,
it is also possible to follow migrations from correspondence on various
subjects. The 1914 record on the issue of “Ottoman citizenship” men-
tioned above is a good example of this. According to the letter sent by

46 «The number of Tunisians who want to settle in Syria and the correspondence
between the Syrian Province and the Ministry of Internal Affairs about it would be more
appropriate to send them to Mersin and Yumurtalık». BOA, BEO. 3674/2755442, 11
December 1909.
47 «Correspondence between the Libyan Province and the Ottoman government re-
garding the transfer of immigrants from Algeria and Tunisia to Syria». BOA, DH. ŞFR.
663/111, 13 July 1910.
48 «Decisions on Tunisian and Algerian immigrants settled in Syria». BOA, ŞD.
653/58, 13 May 1911.

Mediterranea - ricerche storiche - Anno XX - Agosto 2023
ISSN 1824-3010 (stampa) ISSN 1828-230X (online)