 On 16 May 1915 , while the Armenian Genocide was underway , a secret directive was promulgated entitled " administrative instruction regarding movable and immovable property abandoned by Armenians deported as a result of the war and unusual political circumstances . " Once enacted , the directive established special commissions , known as the " Abandoned Property Commissions " ( Turkish : Emvâl @-@ i Metrûke İdare Komisyonları ) and the " Liquidation Commissions " ( Turkish : Tasfiye Komisyonu ) , which were tasked with providing detailed information and appraising the value of assets " abandoned " by deportees under the guise of " safeguarding " them . The number of these commissions rose to 33 by January 1916 . After the departure of the deportees , goods and livestock that were deemed " perishable " were prioritized as the first items that must be sold using public auctions , while the profits from these auctions were to be safeguarded under the entitlement of the owners . After providing documentation of the property ( copies provided to the owners and the Ottoman Treasury ) , the directive specified that muhajirs ( Turkish refugees mainly from the Balkan wars ) were to be settled in the vacant lands and properties belonging to the deportees . Once settled , the refugees had to register the land and houses , while other assets that were affixed to the property , such as olive groves and vineyards , were to be allocated amongst them . Unwanted items and assets were to be sold in public auctions . According to historian Dickran Kouymjian , the settlement of muhajirs into the lands and properties of deported Armenians implies that local authorities had firsthand knowledge that the deportees were to never return . 
