During the Ottoman Empire, the region commonly referred to as Palestine was known as “Southern Syria” or “Syria of the Coast.” The Ottomans administratively organized their territories into several provinces, and the area of modern-day Israel and Palestine was included in a larger province that the Ottomans called “Sanjak of Jerusalem,” which was part of the larger province of “Vilayet of Syria.
The designation of the region reflected the Ottoman view of political and administrative organization rather than a national identity. The population of the region included various ethnic and religious groups who lived together, influencing how the territory was identified in that period.