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In a historic decision with implications for property rights and royal lineage, a court in Türkiye has confirmed that 71 individuals are descendants of Sultan Abdulhamid II, the 34th ruler of the Ottoman Empire.
The Istanbul 12th Civil Court of Peace delivered the ruling after a complex inheritance case that lasted 15 years, involving decades-old family trees and competing legal claims.
The legal case was filed by individuals claiming descent from the late sultan, who ruled between 1876 and 1909 and died in 1918 at the Beylerbeyi Palace in Istanbul. Plaintiffs sought official recognition as rightful heirs to claim parts of what they described as the sultan's vast property portfolio.
After numerous expert reports and genealogical investigations, court-appointed experts confirmed the identities of 71 descendants, noting that only 11 of them were first-generation heirs through Sultan Abdulhamid II's children. The report included detailed records of the sultan’s marriages and offspring.
However, the court ruled that the certificate of inheritance (veraset ilami) could not be used to automatically transfer real estate to the descendants due to existing legal restrictions.
While the court affirmed the plaintiffs’ hereditary ties, it denied unrestricted rights to property transfer. The decision specifically blocks the inheritance of certain properties alleged to have belonged to the sultan, pending further clarification on their current legal status.
The properties listed by the heirs include high-value and historically significant sites such as Galatasaray Island, large tracts of land in Bakirkoy, Beykoz, and Kartal, mansions in Nisantasi and Horhor, farmlands in Cekmece and Geyve, and even urban landmarks like Kabatas Square and parts of Dolmabahce.
The case reignited debates surrounding a 1924 law passed following the abolition of the Ottoman Caliphate. The law transferred ownership of all registered properties belonging to Ottoman sultans to the Republic of Türkiye. A parliamentary interpretation from 1949 further cemented this stance, making it nearly impossible for descendants to reclaim such assets.
Nonetheless, the heirs argued that Sultan Abdulhamid II died in 1918—before the law came into effect—and therefore, his private property should not fall under the 1924 ruling.
Attorneys representing some of the heirs, Bulent Gorur and Umit Yilmaz, described the court's decision as a milestone for Türkiye's legal system. “This ruling marks a significant turning point in the legal history of Türkiye,” they stated. “For over a century, there has been legal ambiguity regarding the property rights of members of the Ottoman dynasty. This decision begins to illuminate those uncertainties.”
The lawyers emphasized that the court’s recognition of the heirs’ identities aligns with universal legal principles, particularly the inviolability of property rights. “We believe that the right to property must also be respected in the case of Sultan Abdulhamid II’s legacy,” they added.
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