07.11.2026 18:30
The document dated January 3, 1909, discovered by city researcher Taner Özdemir in the Ottoman archives, brought to light a historical initiative regarding the oil and petroleum mines in the villages of Divan-ı Hüseyin and Halil Çavuş in Hınıs. Baron Balasanyoni Efendi's request for an oil concession once again shed light on the energy history of Erzurum.
Historical initiatives regarding Erzurum's underground resources continue to come to light through documents found in the Ottoman archives.
117-YEAR-OLD PETROLEUM SECRET REVEALED The document dated January 3, 1909, uncovered by City Researcher Taner Özdemir during his archival research, revealed that an initiative had been made in Hınıs 117 years earlier for petroleum exploration and operating concession. The subject of the official letter sent by the Erzurum Province Correspondence Office to the Ministry of Trade and Agriculture was the naphtha and petroleum mines in the villages of Divan-ı Hüseyin and Halil Çavuş, affiliated with the Hınıs district. According to the document, Baron Balasanyoni Efendi requested that the license for the said mines be put out to tender and that the concession be granted to him. Upon this request, the necessary legal proceedings were initiated. The announcement regarding the concession application was published in the Erzurum Province Gazette, and a copy of the newspaper was sent to the Ministry of Trade and Agriculture.
APPLICATION PERIOD EXPIRED, NO APPLICATION MADE The most striking part of the document shows how the initiative concluded. In the letter sent by the Erzurum Governorate to the Ministry of Trade and Agriculture, it is stated that Baron Balasanyoni Efendi or his authorized representative did not make any application within the specified period. Upon the expiration of the application period, permission is requested from the central administration so that the necessary legal proceedings regarding the said mines can be carried out. The document bearing the date 21 Kanun-ı Evvel 1324, corresponding to January 3, 1909 in the Gregorian calendar, was issued with the signature of the Governor of Erzurum.
TANER ÖZDEMİR: ERZURUM'S PETROLEUM HISTORY SHOULD BE REINVESTIGATED City Researcher Taner Özdemir, who brought the document to light, drew attention to the importance of research on Erzurum's petroleum past and made the following statement: "We cannot evaluate Erzurum's history solely through wars, political developments, and cultural heritage. Our city also has an economic and energy history that has not yet been sufficiently researched. This document we encountered in the Ottoman archives shows that in 1909, an official concession initiative was made for petroleum and naphtha mines in the villages of Divan-ı Hüseyin and Halil Çavuş affiliated with Hınıs. What is important here is that the petroleum issue is not merely a rumor or local narrative," he said.
"REQUEST FOR OPERATING CONCESSION FOR THE PETROLEUM RESOURCES IN HINIS" Pointing out that official correspondence took place between the Erzurum Governorate and the Ministry of Trade and Agriculture, Özdemir said, "The announcement process was carried out and the concession request was evaluated on a legal basis. Since Baron Balasanyoni Efendi did not complete his application within the specified period, this initiative remained inconclusive. The document shows us not that petroleum was extracted at that time, but that an operating concession was requested for the petroleum resources in Hınıs. While researching Erzurum's petroleum past, we encounter documents from different periods. When these records extending from Hınıs to Palandöken and to different points of our city are brought together, Erzurum's energy history will emerge in a much more comprehensive way. I believe that there is much information and many documents in our archives that have not yet been brought to light. Revealing Erzurum's history in all its aspects is our responsibility toward our past. By continuing these researches, we will continue to reveal our city's hidden energy history with its documents," he said.
ERZURUM'S PETROLEUM HISTORY EXTENDS TO THE OTTOMAN PERIOD The fact that the villages of Divan-ı Hüseyin and Halil Çavuş in Hınıs were the subject of official correspondence concerning naphtha and petroleum mines in 1909 documents that interest was shown in the underground resources of Erzurum and its surroundings during the Ottoman period as well. This record also reveals that the search for petroleum was not merely a matter of exploration; it was a bureaucratic process carried out within the framework of licenses, tenders, concessions, announcements, and legal periods. The 117-year-old document brought to light by City Researcher Taner Özdemir sheds light on Hınıs's unknown petroleum past while once again demonstrating the need to research Erzurum's hidden energy history.