Reflections of Tanzim at Reforms on Urban Governance, and the Establishment of Modern Municipalities: The Case of the Jerusalem Municipality

This study examines the establishment and development of modern municipal governance in the Ottoman Empire during the Tanzimat Period, specifically as a case study focusing on the Jerusalem Municipality.From a public administration and urban governance perspective, it investigates how Ottoman reform efforts in the 19th century-shaped by increasing population, urbanization, and Western influences-laid the groundwork for the transition from traditional governing approaches to modern local administrations.The study analyzes the effects of the centralized administrative approach brought by the Tanzimat on the newly established local administration structure and municipal organization, based on the laws and regulations of the period and the extensive academic literature on the subject.In conclusion, while the municipalities of the Tanzimat Period did not possess a fully autonomous and participatory structure when compared to contemporary local government concepts, they are considered a critical first step in the emergence and institutionalization of modern local governments, extending from the Ottoman Empire to the Republic of Tu rkiye.This study illuminates the complex nature of Ottoman administrative reforms and their impact on the contemporary local government system by highlighting the continuities and ruptures between the old order and new practices, as well as the dynamic interplay between centralism and the necessity for local governance.