The sanjak existed from its formation in 1430 as part of the Rumeli Eyalet until its conquest in the First Balkan War in 1912 and its reorganization in 1915 as the Thessalonica Prefecture of the Kingdom of Greece.

After the Ottomans finally occupied the city in 1430, its hinterland was organized as the Salonica Sanjak of the Rumeli Eyalet, encompassing the Chalcidice Peninsula and Macedonia between the Vardar and Aliakmon Rivers.

[1][2] At the outbreak of the First Balkan War in 1912, Salonica Sanjak comprised the following kazas: Selanik (Thessalonica), Kesendire (Kassandra Peninsula), Karaferye (Veroia), Yenice Vardar (Giannitsa), Vodina (Edessa), Langaza (Langadas), Gevgelü (Gevgelija), Avret Hişar (Neo Gynaikokastro), Toyran (Star Dojran), Ustrumca (Strumica), Tikoş/Kavadar (Kavadarci), Katerin (Katerini), Aynaroz (Mount Athos) and Karâğâbad.

[2] Most of the sanjak was captured by the army of the Kingdom of Greece in October 1912 with Thessalonica falling on the 26th, but its northern portions fell to Serbia and are now part of North Macedonia.

The Ottoman kazas were then renamed subgovernates (υποδιοικήσεις, ypodioikíseis) and overseen by governate commissioners (διοικητικοί επίτροποι, dioikitikoí epítropoi) nominated by the governor-general.