Mutasarrf

Mutasarrıf is an Ottoman administrative title used for the governor of a mutasarrıfate, a provincial unit with a degree of autonomous governance within the late Ottoman state. The term derives from Turkish mutasarrıf, from Arabic tasarruf, meaning “to govern” or “to administer,” with the title referring to “the one who governs.”

The mutasarrıf held executive authority and headed the provincial administration, responsible for civil affairs, security, taxation, and the implementation of imperial decrees. The central Ottoman government appointed mutasarrıfs, and in many cases their selection was coordinated with broader state policy and, in some regions, considerations involving local elites and foreign powers to ensure stability among diverse communities.

A notable example is the Mount Lebanon Mutasarrifate, established in 1861 in the aftermath of sectarian conflict and European mediation. This mutasarrıfate operated under Ottoman sovereignty but enjoyed a comparatively high degree of local autonomy, with the mutasarrıf overseeing administration across the designated territory and interacting with religious and civil authorities. The arrangement endured until the end of the Ottoman Empire in 1918, after which the territory came under French mandate administration and later became part of the modern state of Lebanon.

Mutasarrıfs also existed in other regions during the 19th century reforms that reorganized provincial governance under the Vilayets and Sanjaks. The role declined with the empire’s dissolution, but the title remains a historical reference to the Ottomans’ approach to provincial administration and to the specific system of mutasarrifates.