Possession

Possession (zilyetlik) is the factual control exercised over a thing. Unlike ownership it is not a right but a legally protected state of fact: both a tenant and a thief possess what they hold, though their legal positions differ.

Protection operates on two levels. A possessor may use proportionate force to repel dispossession or interference, and may sue for restitution of possession and prevention of interference. This protection rests on the factual situation rather than on entitlement; even the owner may not forcibly take goods from their tenant.

For movables, possession creates a presumption of ownership and underpins good-faith acquisitions. For immovables, long, uncontested and uninterrupted possession may lead to ownership through acquisitive prescription, which makes proof of possession decisive in disputes over unregistered land.