TRENDEFRAtlas of the Sultans · Glossary
Term · Finance and economy
Also known as: Düyun-ı Umumiye
The administration set up in 1881 to pay the Ottoman foreign debt, run by representatives of the creditor countries.
The Ottoman state signed its first foreign loan agreement in 1854; by 1875 its finances could no longer meet the debt instalments. After negotiations with the creditors, the Decree of Muharrem was proclaimed on 20 December 1881 and certain tax revenues were handed directly to this administration. The Public Debt Administration became the symbol of the state's loss of financial independence.
Open the map in 1881Source: TDV Encyclopedia of Islam, article “DÜYÛN-ı UMÛMİYYE” (in Turkish); text condensed for the atlas.