_ 261 _ the acquisition of the province or, in the case of the old provinces, with the middle of the fifteenth century. The latest defter is dated 1290/1873-4. The defters often begin with a Qananname a codification of the fiscal law and custom of the province, in the conquered provinces usually a codification of the pre-Ottoman usage with such modifications as the Sultan’s govern-ment thought fit to introduce. The Qanünnames were practical documents, issued as guides to administrative usage, and quite distinct from the Holy Law of Islam as codified in the works of the jurists. Ottoman conservatism makes them a valuable source for the preceding periods. The Syrian Qanünnames preserve much of Mamlük usage, often with references to specific Mamlük edicts. The Qanünnames for Northern Mesopotamia and Eastern Anatolia offer unique evidence on the practice of the Aq-Qoyunlu, and especially on the legislation of Uzun Hasan(A). A few isolated Qanünnames were published in the Journal of the Ottoman Historical Society and elsewhere(B), (A) On this, see now W. Hinz, Das Steuerwesen Ostanatoliens im 15. und 16. Jahrhundert, Z.D.M.G., 100, 1950, pp. 177-201. (B) For a list see Deny’s article Timar in Encyclopædia of Islam. A number of Qanünnames are examined in J. von Hammer, Des Osmanischen Reichs Staatsver-fassung und Staatsverwaltung,
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