The Land Registry Department or "Tabu" in Ottoman language, is one of the departments of the Iraqi Ministry of Justice. During the mandate period, it was a commission affiliated to the "Tabu Directorate" of the district of Hilla.
This department was tasked with recording transactions, mortgages, documentation, and property transfer, and it was consisted of commissioner, a surveyor, and an engineer in some cases, as well as a number of official letters to regulate transactions, bonds and sales records.
The Land Registry Department underwent many changes. In 1930, the rank of the Karbala Tabu commissioner was raised to the level of a directorate, based on the Ministry of Justice regulation No. 8 on 1930, which stipulated the creation of Land Registry directorates in all districts centers.
This system was not activated until 1933, and according to this amendment, the Karbala Tabu Directorate became composed of a director appointed by the General Director of Land Registry after approval by the Ministry of Justice, according to the importance of the district and the rank of the employee.
The department consisted later of an assistant director, a survey officer, a number of clerks, an engineer, and an assistant engineer. In 1939, it was renamed to Land Registry and Settlement Directorate, according to regulation No. 51 on1939, which kept effective until 1945, as it was abolished by regulation No. 31 on 1945, which separated the land settlement division from the Tabu Department structure and considered it an independent department.
Source:
Mawsueat Karbala Al-Hadhariya [Vol. 2, p. 567-568].
Published by: Karbala Center for Studies and Research
