The Discussions on Civil Code in Ottoman Empire: Mejelle or Code Civil?

The need for a civil code, which emerged from the political, economic and legal conditions of the Ottoman Empire in the 19^th century, led to different views about the source of the code. The difference of opinion was on whether to adopt Code Civil or to make a new law based on Islamic law. Finally, the views represented by Ahmet Cevdet Pasha was adopted, and thus Mejelle, the first Civil Code and Code of Obligations in Islamic and Turkish legal history, came into existence. The aim of this paper is to deal with the discussions, and analyse the impact of Code Civil on the codification of civil law.