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The Sharia court records constitute one the richest sources for the social and economic history of Jerusalem, since this court was, “by and large, the sole legal arbiter and a primary instrument of social control” (Doumani, 1985) until Ibrahim Pasha’s reforms in the 1830s. These records deal with all realms of human interaction, from personal status issues, sales contracts, building permits to civil and criminal cases. However, after the Ottoman judicial reforms of 1876 and the establishment of the nizamîya court system, the sharia courts were no longer dealing with criminal cases and less civil cases could be taken before them. Their function was further curtailed by the British mandate authorities who limited them to the Muslim community.

The shari‘a court registers (sijillât mahkama shar‘îyya) of Jerusalem represent the oldest and most complete collection of Ottoman period court registers in Palestine, covering the years 1529-1917. Microfilms dating from the Ottoman period are accessible in the Islamic Archives in Abu Dis, at the Centre for Manuscripts and Documents of the University of Jordan in Amman, in the library of the University of Al-Najah in Nablus and in the library of the University of Haifa.

The described items were selected according to the period covered by the project and the earthquake of 1837.