Nahiye
‘Nahiye’ refers to a district or municipality and was integral to the Ottomanization of Constantinople. Growing around pious complexes (mosques, churches or synagogues) the borders of nahiyes were often defined by geographical and environmental topographies, such as rivers, streams or hills. After 1871 the population of nahiyes were calculated by the number of male inhabitants. By the end of 15th century Istanbul was divided into 13 nahiyes. Each nahiye had its own distinct council, director and committee to manage the affairs of the sub-districts (mahalles). This lithographed official fire insurance street map by the engineer Jacques Pervititch from March 1934 depicts the Üsküdar nahiye which lies on the Asian side of the Bosphorus. It contains information about individual buildings, property owners, public real estate, population as well as businesses.