ABSTRACT

Ottoman Empires continious invasion of the Aegean Islands, beginning from the front parts of Dardanelles in a process continuing till the second half of XVI. century resulted in Aegean Sea to become on Ottoman inner sea. For making the needed financial and social applications by combining this inner sea with the north, west and east coasts and forming the support points for a policy towards Mediterranean Sea, both large and small islands of this location were taken into administrative arrangement. In February 1534 Barbaros Hayreddin Pasha was announced as a governor-general and Cezâyir-i Bahr-i Sefîd province was formed which constitutes a determining factor of Aegean Island’s Conditions. Galipolli, Rhodes and Lesvos became the basic institutions of this province, which comprises the Aegean Sea. While at first Lemnos was a district of Galipolli Sanjah, from the beginning of the second half of XVIII century it became a subdivision of province in Cezâyir-i Bahr-i Sefîd Province’s structure and after the reconstruction of the province it was announced as a sanjah. Cezâyir-i Bahr-i Sefîd which gained the status of (city) after Lozan Contract signed in 1923, completely lost its legal status.