The Osmanli Vilayet of Tuna (= the Danube) - covering the northern part of present-
day Bulgaria - was created in 1864 out of parts of the pre-existing Elayet of Nish,
Silistire (Bulg.: Silistra) and Vidin.
In 1877 the Vilayet included five Sandjaks (1) :
- Rusçuk (Bulg. Ruse)
- Tirnovo (Bulg.: Turnovo)
- Tulca
- Varna
- Vidin
The same year Tuna was occupied by Russian troops and in 1878 all Sandjaks except
Tulca - which was transferred to Rumania - became part of the new Principality of
Bulgaria.
(1) The Vilayet had at first also covered the Sandjaks of Sofya (Bulg.:
Sofija) and Nish, but both were detached in 1876 to form the Valilik
of Sofya (Valilik = name given to a small Vilayet).
This lasted until 1877 when Nish became a Sandjak of Kosova and Sofya
of Edirne.
Vali
1876 - 1877 Osman Mazhar Pasha
(Except for one mention, there is no other evidence for the existence
of a separate Vilayet of Sofya before 1876)
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