Հայ կինը Օսմանյան Սիրիայում (XVI-XIX դդ.)

Abstract

The non-Muslim population of the Ottoman Empire was forced to follow the Zimmi tradition and obey the requirements established by the Ottoman conquerors. The rules concerning women were more detailed and strict, which was conditioned by the position of women in Islam. The study of the position of the Armenian women in Syria separately from other parts of the Empire is reasoned by the fact that the latter is a subdivision of the Ottoman Empire. Syria had a unique system of governance and its separate regions enjoyed certain autonomy under the domination of a local Arab ruler or Emir. Therefore, the status of the local Muslim and non-Muslim population was very specific, which did not directly concern the standards, laws and generally accepted policies of Ottoman subjects, but rather the degree of tolerance of the local governor and his interests, etc. In the current situation, the SyrianArmenian woman had a problem with keeping her national customs, following the local behavior and morals and, at the same time, obeying the Ottoman laws. There are sufficient data on Armenian women in different regions of Western Armenia, the traditions of the Armenian family, the relations and the role of Armenian women in the family. But there is not enough information about Armenian women in Syria both in Armenian and foreign historiography. For this reason, often the description of the Syrian-Armenian woman, her role, rights and restrictions in the family are presented in a general context along with Christian women in Syria. Ottoman court decisions, which mainly focus on issues such as conversion to Islam, mixed marriages or inheritance, disputes between neighbors from different communities serve as an important source for studying and understanding particularly the position and role of Syrian-Armenian women in those centuries.