The 10th International Conference on the History of Bilad Al-Sham kicked off on Sunday under the theme "The Ottoman tanzimat and their applications in Bilad Al-Sham in the Nineteenth century".

More than 40 scholars and historians are participating in the Conference which is organized by the Center for Documents, Manuscripts and Bilad al-Sham studies at the University of Jordan (UJ).

The 3-day Conference aims to examine and discuss the Ottoman tanzimat (administrative systems) and their applications in the Bilad Al-Sham region during the nineteenth century.

Conference themes include the main Arab and foreign resources; the impact of the tanzimat on the administrative divisions and urbanism in Bilad Al-Sham; the judicial system; crafts, professions and agro-industries; the educational institutions and cultural life; and commerce.

The ninth conference on the History of Bilad Al-Sham, which was organized in 2012, discussed "Agriculture in Bilad al-Sham from the latter years of the Byzantine period through the end of the Ottoman Empire 1920".