Glossary · Term

Vilayet

1864–1922 · 19th century

A vilayet was a first-level province of the Ottoman Empire under the administrative system introduced by the Provincial Law of 1864, which replaced the older eyalets. Each was headed by a governor (vali) and divided into sanjaks and smaller districts. The system was applied across the empire from the Balkans to Yemen and lasted until the end of the empire.

Vilayet
Image: Grégoire Aristarchi / Gregory Aristarchis (Bey) / Γρηγόριος Αριστάρχης · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 1 state history

Yemen Vilayet

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Vilayet. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/vilayet
MLA
“Vilayet.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/vilayet. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Vilayet.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/vilayet.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Vilayet’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/vilayet (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻