Meclis-i Mükâleme Mazbatası (Minutes of Dialogue) of the 1823 (First) Erzurum Treaty

Abstract

The Ottoman and Iranian states, having conflicts over issues such as borders, trade and tribes since the beginning of the 19^th century, sought for settling these disputes with armed struggle since the end of 1820. Iranian Crown Shahzadeh, Abbas Mirza’s attacks, from Kars and Bayezid borders to the Ottoman lands pushed two countries into an inevitable war. The war, continued about three years, took place on the Eastern and Baghdad fronts. The developments leading two states, which could not compromise on whose subjects the nomad Kurdish tribes living mostly on the Ottoman and Iranian borderlines were, to full peace, began as of 1823. The ambassadors from Iran struggled for persuading the Ottoman Empire to solve the problems with a peace treaty and end the warfare. In the Ottoman Empire, which the ambassadors managed to bring to the table, Erzurum Governor Rauf Pasha was appointed to conduct the treaty negotiations and Muhammed Ali Aştiyani in Iran. The negotiations of the text that would form the articles of the 1823 Erzurum Treaty, which ended the war between two states and established peace, happened on the 22^nd July 1823, at the governor’s palace in Erzurum and it was decided to put the matters agreed upon into articles as a result of the negotiations. In this study, after presenting data about the process leading the Ottoman and Iranian states to war, the war, the diplomatic efforts between two countries for peace and the discussions during negotiations, the transcription of the minutes of dialogue will be included.

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