Long-Term Changes in the Creation of New Cash Waqfs in Istanbul

Abstract

In this paper, relying on information from almost 4,500 waqf deeds (vakfiye) available in Istanbul sharia court registers for the period 1550-1900, we study long-term changes in the creation of new cash waqfs including the periods of expansion, stagnation and crises. We also examine the participation of different groups—namely, officials (askeri), civilians (reaya), and women— as cash-waqf founders. We find that women were significant contributors to the waqf sector and that, contrary to a common assumption in the literature, officials’ participation as benefactors was proportional to that of other groups. Furthermore, we show that the relative shares of social groups as benefactors in the waqf sector f luctuated significantly over time. Thus, researchers should be cautious about making generalizations based on a single, set ratio of involvement as if it applies to all times and places.