Mavi Boncuk |
The Ottoman state was closely following Meter based developments in Europe. As a matter of fact, the Ottoman Empire adopted the metric system at the same time as European countries.
Sultan Abdulaziz[1] paid special attention to the measurement standards that European countries[2] were trying to establish. One of the founding members of the Meter Convention, which was held in Paris on May 25, 1875 to ensure universal unity, was the Ottoman state. In this meeting, Miralay Hüsnü Bey, who served as the Military Attaché in the Paris Embassy, represented the Ottoman state.
Sultan Abdulaziz paid special attention to the transition to the metric system, but this did not happen during his time. The transition to the metric system was made possible by Sultan Abdulhamid II's 1881 ordinance and metric weights were stamped since 1883.
In spite of all this, in 1895, the old measurements were returned to the old measurements and dirhams[3] were used for a while.
The last and final transition to the metric system was passed with the measure law enacted in 1931 [4]during the republican period.
See Also: Ottoman Metrology post of Mavi Boncuk.
[1] During the reign of Sultan Abdulaziz, a calligraphy dated 20 Cemaziyelahir 1286 (1869) and a law code passed to the metric system as a unit of measurement of length. The term "zira-ı a'şarî" was used for the meter with a name appropriate to the old measurements. With this change, "ar" was accepted as the unit of measurement of land, "öşr-i ziya cube" as the measure of volume, "cubic decimeter", liter as a unit, "dirhem-i aşarî" or "gram" as the measure of weight. In the 2nd and 7th articles of the Law, it was ordered to produce a platinum "zira-ı a'şarî" and a "vukıyye-i asariyye" equal to one kilogram, as an example for all measurements in meters to be used, and store it in the Treasury-i Hümayun. It was also stated that the law would be valid from March 1287 (1870) in official transactions, that the people could use the old and new measures together until March 1290 (1873), and after this date the old measurements would be completely banned.
[2] The Law of Measures and Weights was adopted in France in 1837, it was announced that the meter was the only valid unit for length measurements. Since this date, many meter prototypes have been made and distributed to the world countries.
By 1869, 12 countries in Europe adopted the metric system. There was even a commission called CIM (Commission Internationale de Meter), consisting of several French members and other representatives. The task of this commission was to set a standard for the unit of mass as well as the meter.
[3] DİRHEM (ﺩﺭﻫﻢ) i. (Ar. dirhem < Fars. direm < Yun. drahmi)
1. Okkanın dört yüzde birine eşit eski bir ağırlık ölçüsü birimi (3,2075 gr.) [Şerîata göre yetmiş tâne orta boy arpanın ağırlığı kadardır]: On beşten aşağı vermedi, aksi gibi hâinlerin tânesi de üç yüz dirhem geliyor (Mehmet Rauf).
2. Eski bir para çeşidi, gümüş sikke: Bunlardan her birine seferde bulundukları müddetçe bir Osmanlı dirhemi, şer’î bir çeyrek dirhem gündelik tâyin edildi (Kâtip Çelebi’den Seç.). Ne kānûna ne cebr ü zora ne hünkâra tâbi’dir / Bu bender-gehte herkes dirhem ü dînâra tâbi’dir (Ziyâ Paşa’dan).
Dirhem dirhem: Azar azar. Dirhem koklatmamak: Hiçbir şey vermemek. Dirhemini yiyen kudurur: Söylediği söz çok ağır, tahammül edilecek gibi değil. Dirhemle söz (lakırdı) söylemek: Çok az ve ağır ağır konuşmak. Dirhem-i ceyyid: Bozuk ve karışık olmayan gümüş sikke. Dirhem-i hâlis: Başka bir mâdenle karışık olmayan, saf gümüşten dirhem. Dirhem-i kâsid: Tedâvülden düşürülen mağşuş (karışık) dirhem. Dirhem-i mağşuş: Başka bir mâdenle karışık olan dirhem. Dirhem-i örfî: On altı kıratlık gümüş para. Dirhem-i şer’î: Zekât, diyet vb. dînî hükümlerde mûteber olan on dört kıratlık gümüş para. Dirhem-i züyuf: Bakır veya başka bir mâdenle karıştırılmış olan dirhem.
[4] The Ottoman Empire (1299–1923), the predecessor of modern Turkey was one of the 17 signatories of the Metre Convention in 1875. For 58 years both the international and the traditional units were in use, but after the proclamation of the Turkish Republic, the traditional units became obsolete. In 1931 by Act No. 1782, international units became compulsory and the traditional units were banned from use starting 1 January 1933.
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