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
Armenian Genocide
Armenian Genocide
Confiscation of Armenian properties in Turkey