At the end of the 19th century, the Ottoman Empire viewed guidance services as being of great importance, and after some adjustments had been made, it came to regard 'guidance' as a profession. With the first regulation in 1890, it was agreed that certificates would be presented to people with certain qualifications, which meant that engaging in interpretation or guidance without a certificate was illegal. Because of the difficulties that appeared in the following years, various changes in the regulations had to be made. From the end of the century onwards, there were attempts to establish a guidance community. In this study, Turkey's first professional tourist guides, guidance services and legal regulations will be illustrated in the light of Ottoman Archive documents and the travel guides of the period. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
