Kaza

In the Ottoman Empire, a kaza was originally equivalent to the kadiluk, the district subject to the legal and administrative jurisdiction of a kadi or judge of Islamic law.

[6] Each kaza was in turn made up of one or more nahiyes ("districts") under müdürs[clarification needed] and mütesellims and several karyes ("villages") under muhtars.

[7] With the first round of Tanzimat reforms in 1839, the administrative duties of each district's kadi were transferred to a kaymakam ("governor") appointed by the Ministry of the Interior[7] and a treasurer, with the kadis restricted to solely religious and judicial roles.

[8] Kazas were further emended and distinguished from the kadiluks under the 1864 Provincial Reform Law, implemented over the following decade as part of efforts by the Porte to establish uniform and rational administration across the empire.

[5] The 1871 revisions removed the kazas' responsibility for direct supervision of their villages, placing them all under nearby nahiyes instead.