735 DOI: 10.7596/taksad.v6i4.1061 Citation: Samani, H., & Onurkan Samani, M. (2017). Tanzimat Döneminde Kıbrıs Zaptiye Teşkilatı. Journal of History Culture and Art Research, 6(4), 735-747. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.7596/taksad.v6i4.1061 Tanzimat Döneminde Kıbrıs Zaptiye Teşkilatı Cyprus Zaptiyeh Establishment during the Tanzimat Era Hasan Samani 1 , Meltem Onurkan Samani 2 Abstract During the Tanzimat (reform) period, which was a unique period in the history of Ottoman modernisation, many new institutions were established. The Tanzimat reforms also affected Cyprus, which had been an Ottoman island since 1571. One of the institutions was the Zaptiyeh (police) organization, formed to provide domestic security services.The Cyprus Zaptiyeh organization was established through various regulations implemented during the period between 1846-1871. At the beginning of process, the establishment of a Zaptiyeh squad was initiated. By 1870, a Zaptiyeh battalion composed of four squadrons, and attached to Cezâir-i Bahr-i Sefid (Mediterranean Islands) Province Regiment, was established in Cyprus. Throughout the Tanzimat period, the Cyprus Zaptiyeh organisation failed to meet the island’s domestic security services requirements. Therefore, the local authorities of Cyprus consistently sought to strenghten the organisation. In this context, the present study aims to investigate the process of the establishment of the Zaptiyeh organization based on the specific challenges in Cyprus. Keywords: Cyprus, Zaptiyeh, Domestic security, Ottoman. 1 Yakin Doğu Üniversitesi, Fen-Edebiyat Fakültesi, Tarih Bölümü, Kıbrıs. E-mail: hasan.samani@neu.edu.tr 2 Lefke Avrupa Üniversitesi, Fen-Edebiyat Fakültesi, Tarih Bölümü, Kıbrıs. E-mail: msamani@eul.edu.tr Journal of History Culture and Art Research (ISSN: 2147-0626) Tarih Kültür ve Sanat Araştırmaları Dergisi Vol. 6, No. 4, September 2017 Revue des Recherches en Histoire Culture et Art Copyright © Karabuk University ﻣﺠﻠﺔ ﺍﻟﺒﺤﻮﺙ ﺍﻟﺘﺎﺭﻳﺨﻴﺔ ﻭﺍﻟﺜﻘﺎﻓﻴﺔ ﻭﺍﻟﻔﻨﻴﺔhttp://kutaksam.karabuk.edu.tr