SOME REMARKS ON THE WAKF INSTITUTION IN THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE

Mehmet İpşirli
İstanbul Medipol University

1. The institution of wakf which has rendered such great services to which Islamic
societies in the course of centuries owes its origins to Islamic precepts on solidaritity
and contribution to society. In the present study we shall try to trace the course
followed by wakfs in the lands under Turkish domination, from its dawn in the reign of
the Seljuks until its evolution and flourishing under the Ottomans.
2. With respect to the origin of wakf, opinions differ; several origins have been claimed.
To quote but a few: the Turkish states prior to Islam, Byzantium and the Sassanids1.
Although the Kor’an comprises many verses which counsel and encourage assistance
and contribution to society expressed by such words as 'infak' (a, maintaining,
to keep other people); 'inam' (benefaction); 'ihsan' (gift, endowment); 'sadaka' (alms,
charity) 2; "karz-i hasen' (a lending without interest), the term wakf is not mentioned.
3. The Prophet, on many instances, advised people to help and assist each other, but he
never used the word 'wakf in the tradition. However, in the preamble of all the deeds of
trust available, the tradition related to the 'sadaka-i cariye' (alms in perpetuity) seems
to have had some effect on the favor shown by society to this institution 3. We can
witness a concrete example of this in the following incident. The Prophet had
endowed a date grove which belonged to him of which the revenue was to be spent for
the cause of Islam. He had also endowed certain places in Hebron in Palestine for
Temim-i Dârî, companion of the Prophet, and his descendants 4. He had also given
advice to his companions on this issue. Upon being asked by Umar, later caliph, as to
the best way to benefit of the date grove in his possession, he had given the following
answer: 'Retain the thing itself and devote its fruits to pious purposes'. Umar did this
with the provision that the land should neither be sold nor bequeathed 5. It is
indicated in certain sources that Ali, the Prophet's son-in-law, had also created a
similar endowment 6.

4. The favor that the 'wakf found induced legists to codify the 'wakf laws. However, the
fact that the institution was not clearly defined either in the 'Koran' or in the
'tradition', caused religious leaders (scholars) of the 'madhabs' (sects), even
the jurists of the same sect, to differ and arrive at divergent judicial decisions. For
instance, while Abu Hanifa, leading fıkh scholar and theologian after whom the
madhab of the Hanafites has been named, considered the 'wakf as a covenant
executed for the benefit of the community, as a provisional statute which could be
1
M. Fuad Köprülü, “ Vakıf Müessesesinin Hukukî Mahiyeti ve ve Tarihî Tekamülü”, Vakıflar Dergisi, U (1942), pp.
1-35.
2
“O ye who believe! Spend out of (the bounties) We have provided for you, Before the Day comes When no
bargaining ( Will avail), nor friendship Nor ittercession. Those who reject Faith-they Are the wrongdoers”, Kor’an,
2/254; “By no means shall ye Attain righteousness unless Ye (freely) of that Which ye love; and whatever Ye give, of
a truth Allah knoweth it well”, Kor’an, 3/92.
3
When a person dies, all his deeds cease except for these three: perpetual charity, a beneficial knowledge, and a child
who invokes Allah for him., Related by Muslim., Muhtar al- Ahâdîs, Beyrouth nd., 38.
4
“Wakf Seyyidi’l-Mürselîn... Muhammed bin Abdullah... alâ Temîmi’d-Dârî el-Ensârî ve alâ evlâdihî...”, M. İpsirli –
M. Ta mîmî, The Muslim Pious Foundations and Real Estates in Palestine (Ewkaf Emlâku’l-Muslimn fî Filistin),
Istanbul 1982, p. 166.
5
Ömer Hilmi Efendi, İthâfü’l-ahlâf fî ahkâmi’l-evkaf, Istanbul 1307, pp. 10-11.
6
Bahaeddin Yediyıldız, “Vakıf”, Islam ansiklopedisi, (IA), XUI, p. 155.

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 revoked by no one else but the founder himself or his descendants, Imam Abu
Yusuf was of the idea that by mere utterance of 'vakaftu' (I hereby endow) the
private ownership of the asset would become extinct and Imam Muhammed
pronounced in his judicial decision that the wakf formality would be accomplished by
the delivery of an asset to its trustee 7. Under the Umayyads (661-750) and the
Abbasids, the legal and administrative statutes of the wakf developed and its
number increased. The existence of a Divan'ul-ahbas (Divan'ul-ewkaf) (holding of a
court for Ewkaf along with other public sittings of the Council of State wherein the
state affairs were discussed) indicates that the wakf affairs were handled at the
highest level of hierarchy. In such states like the Samanids (819-1005), the
Khwarizmshah and the Ghaznevid (963-1186), in Iran and Transoxania
which emerged in the wake of the shattering of the central authority of the Abbasids,
the institution of 'wakf thrived. The Mongol invasion caused an interruption in
the evolution of 'wakf's. However, this period of stagnation did not last for long. As
a matter of fact, Ahmet Teguder (1282-84) from the Ilkhanids (1256-1353),
descendants of the Mongols, made important studies with a view to fostering the
development and improvement of the wakf, and Mahmud Gazan Khan (1295-
1304) established endowments allotting them rich sources. Under the Mamelukes
(1250-1517), the wakf marked remarkable development both in magnitude and in
kind, and legal and administrative institutions were established 8. Under the Great
Seljuks, and especially under the Seljuk Sultanate of Asia Minor, the creation of
wakfs by prominent personalities, among others sultans, courtiers and statesmen
being in the lead, and the policy followed (incentives, exemptions) played an
important part in .public improvement of the country, and particularly in the Islamization
and Turkification of Anatolia. When the Ottoman Turks seized power in Anatolia, they
found the infrastructure, for the most part, been completed with mosques, madrasas,
dervish lodges, inns, public baths, bridges, caravansarais (inns with a large courtyard).
These had been constructed, repaired and administered by wakfs9.

5. The Ottomans carried the practices of Seljuks to the Balkans and perpetuated public
improvements through the wakf system at places they conquered. Here is a list of the
3339 endowments created by the Ottomans in Bulgaria: 2356 mosques-mesjids, 142
madrasas, 2 classrooms for the training of hafiz (one who has committed the
whole of the Koran to memory), 273 schools, 174 dervish lodges, 42 soup kitchens for
the poor, 116 inns, 113 bathhouses and spas, 27 mausoleums, 24 bridges, 5 castles,
16 caravansarais, 75 fountains, and about 22 aqua-ducts, public fountains, clock
towers, places of instruction, hospitals, libraries, public places for prayer10.

6. Imagine a territory that stretches from Northern Africa to Crimea and from Buda in
Hungary to Basra, and a space of time covering six hundred years, namely, from the
XlVth to the XXth century, the numerous and varied endowments created over such a
wide stretch of land and in an immense space of time, and try to think of the religious,
legal and bureaucratic organizational practices developed to administer them, and
you will realize the importance of this huge system deserving special study, when one
considers the Ottoman wakfs, in particular. Certain foreign scholars who dwelt on the
development and proliferation of the Ottoman wakfs at a tremendous rate, drew
attention to the fact that the forfeiture of estates after the demise of the high
officials must have had a role in it. These scholars claimed that by creating
7
İbid, pp.153-154.
8
Fuad Köprülü, Vakıflar Dergisi, II, 14-19.
9
Osman Çetin, Selçuklu Müesseseleri (Seljuk Institutions), Istanbul 1981, pp. 147-167.
10
Ekrem Hakkı Ayverdi, Avrupa’da Osmanlı Mimari Eserleri (Ottoman Architectural Works in Europe), Istanbul
1982, IV, p. 143.

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 endowments, individuals immortalized their names and bequeathed parts of the
endowments they had created to their heirs thus freeing their assets from being
forfeited. Although it may seem plausible, this argument fails to explain the thriving of
the 'wakf institution under the Ottomans. The opinion that bequeathing according
to the testator's free will of his assets through endowments instead of complying with
the established rules set down by the canonical law of Islam to be viewed as a
circumvention does not fairly represent this common practice11.

7. The most important factor in the development of the wakf under the Ottomans was the
overall encouragement of the wakf as state policy. The sultans themselves, their mothers,
wives, daughters and sons created 'kulliye's (a collection of buildings of an
institution, usually composed of schools, a mosque, insane asylum, hospital, kitchen,
etc.) and allotted them rich sources of revenue for their maintenance and administration..
This tradition, which began with the endowments by Orhan Ghazi in Iznik and
Bursa, gradually developed into a system and became a prototype institution
rendering manifold services and having varied sources of revenue12. Just to give you
an instance of such 'kulliye's, we can mention Murat U's 'kulliye's in Bursa, Muradiye,
and in Edirne, and the magnificent 'kulliye's of Bayezit II in Amasya, Edirne and
Istanbul. The 'kulliye' established by Fatih Sultan Mehmet and Suleiman the Magnificent
in Istanbul, in districts bearing today their names were turning points in city and
social life13. The Ottoman sultans who came after them continued this tradition. These
works constituted examples for dignitaries of state who felt compelled to follow suit. By
the end of Fatih Sultan Mehmet's reign, the number of such endowments had reached
310 in Bursa and 180 in Edirne 14. The sultans vied with each other to create endowments
in the sacred cities and territories of Mecca and Medina referred to as 'Haremeyn', and in
Jerusalem, and the establishment of wakfs in these cities became a symbol of
sovereignty15. The rich endowments by mothers of sultans in Istanbul, Mecca, Medina
and Jerusalem responding to the needs of every layer of society, must set an example
for the present day, especially for wealthy ladies. It would be pertinent here to give an
idea about the number of wakfs created by women in the Ottoman society16. According
to a study in XVIth century, 916 wakfs out of 2515 (36%) established in Istanbul
between 1453 and 1546 were created by women (This is indicated by a list showing
founders' names, assets and stipulations). The findings of this particular study
demonstrate the extent of the legal and financial capacity of women in Ottoman
society. Under the Ottomans, this rate was 36% in Aleppo in the XVIth and 41% in the
XVIIth century. The estimate by Gabriel Baer related to endowments by women
under the Ottomans justifiably points out that nowhere in the West such social and
economic activity by women had ever been encountered17. The wakfs established by
the Ottoman sultans were called 'Ewkaf-i Selatin'. The number of persons in the employ
of these wakfs were very high. The salaried personnel of the 'Suleymaniye Kulliye'
only was 936 (1585-86). The total amount paid to personnel reached 1.237.546
akces (54%), the 'akçe' being the basic unit of the older Ottoman money system, the
value of which was one third of a para. Other expenses of the 'kulliye' including pantry
11
Fuad Köprülü, Vakıflar Dergisi, U, pp. 5-6.
12
For the Religious foundations in the formative period of Ottomans see, Ekrem Hakkı Ayverdi-Aydın Yüksel, İlk
250 Senenin Osmanlı Mimarisi (Ottoman Architecture in the first 250 years), İstanbul 1976.
13
Unfortunately most of these districts lost their historical idendity, however , there are very serious projects to
create a XVIth century district around the Suleymaniye complex by Istanbul Municipality.
14
XXX
15
For the wakf institutions founded by Ottoman Sultans and their family in Harameyn see Eyyub Sabri Pasha,
Mir’at al-Harameyn, I-V vols., İstanbul 1301-1306 ah.
16
The mother of Ottoman Sultans (Walide Sultans) and their religious endowments see J. Deny, “Walide Sultan”, EI2.
17
G. Baer, “ Women and the Wakf: An Analysis of the Istanbul Tahrir of 1546”, Studies in Islamic Society,
Contributions in Memory of Gabriel Baer, ed. G. Warburgh – G. Gilber, Haifa 1984, pp. 9-28.

3
 expenditures were 1.486.990 akces (45%), the total costs of the kulliye amounting to
2.724.536 (100%). Flour, wheat, rice, butter, honey, starch, apricots, almonds etc.
purchased for the pantry in tons had special importance for economic life. Another
reason for wakfs being encouraged by the state was the tax exemption and other
concessions conferred to the wakf.
8. Thanks to certain measures, the state's control continued without interruption despite
the development and growth of wakfs. There were two important practices of the
Ottoman state with reference to the administration of wakfs: namely, the lands
conquered were considered, in principle, to be state lands and a considerable number of
them had been assigned to the military and the scholars who had shown great merits
during the conquests at the dawn and rise of the empire. These persons were later to
donate the lands-, on the other hand, thanks to the central administration the state
was able to keep under control the proliferating and growing wakfs in a land which
expanded from Basra to Budin (Budapest) and from Crimea to Algiers. The control was
secured by issuing all the orders from a center, and by having the annual statement of
accounts of all the wakfs audited by local cadis and the Imperial Chancery of State.
In the formation of a wakf, three elements were essential: namely, the" 'vakif
(founder), 'mevkuf (the object of the endowment), and the 'vakfiye senedi' (deed of
trust). Under Islamic law, there is a stipulation which reads: 'Conditions stipulated by
the founder are like God's rules'. The founder sets down all his conditions in the deed
of trust which he has registered with the judge. The deed of trust was the essential
document to which one referred for administrative purposes and in case of disputes.
The original deed of trust was generally kept by the founder himself, and, after his
demise, by his heirs, while the copy registered in the books was kept at the state
archive. Although the deed texts were the basic source, the statute of the wakf, the
changes brought about in the wakfs due to events like earthquakes and enemy
invasions etc., caused the wakf to lose of its potential power and made it impossible
to meet the requirements stipulated therein. On the other hand, individuals donated to
wakfs, whose administration and objectives they approved, houses, lands, shops or
cash. All these diminutions and accruals of wakfs' assets can be traced in the annual
accounting records. Thus, the annual accounting records are very important. They
are in a sense the journals of wakfs18. The administration of the wakf, in compliance
with the stipulations in the deed of trust, is a sensitive issue, which, in the course of
centuries, generated endless disputes, and had to face corruptions, unjustified
interventions and fierce criticism.
9. In the administration of the wakf, the 'mutevelli' (trustee), the 'nazir' (supervisor), and
the 'cabi' (collector) formed the executive body, while, the role of the cadi should not be
neglected. Nevertheless, a study of wakf transactions makes one realize the
respective powers of the sultan, the grand vizier, the judge, the 'kazasker' (high official
in the hierarchy of the Muslim judiciary), the Sheikhulislam, the Minister of Finance, etc.
in various domains. Under the Ottomans, the number and variety of wakfs grew and
was made accessible to people from all walks of life. But the real novelty that the
Ottoman state had introduced was the new dimensions it gave to the administrative
practices of the one thousand year old wakf institution. Every wakf was administered
according to its respective stipulations as prescribed in its deed of trust.
10. Problems related to the administration of wakfs were becoming more and more
entangled, if not more complex, especially in regard to real estate endowments.
According to Islamic law, in order that something might be endowed, it should be a
proper 'mulk' (property) which was called 'vakf-i sahih' (regular wakf). However it
had become a widely adopted habit to endow state lands by conveying and assigning

18
For a typical example see The Wakfiye of Suleymaniye, ed. Kemal Edib Kürkcüoglu, Ankara 1962; and Omer
Lutfi Barkan, Annual Budget of Suleymaniye Complex year 1585, Vakıflar Dergisi, vol. IX, pp. 109-162.

4
 them first, before endowing. This was called 'vakf-i irsadi' (wakf as allocation) and
under certain conditions again by a firman (imperial edict) they were redeemed to
their former status, i.e. they became 'miri' (public property). In point of fact, Fatih
Sultan Mehmed, considering that the lands which had once belonged to the state and
been a source of revenue for the army, happened to have been assigned to certain
prominent ulemas and military personnel by sultans who preceded him, ordered that
they be recovered and converted back into 'miri' lands. The rigid measures which
created great restlessness were to be revoked upon accession to the throne of Bayezit
II19. Such 'irsadi' (allotted) wakfs were also to be partially canceled by Yavuz Sultan
Selim and Suleiman the Magnificent. Such land endowments assumed diversified
forms and names in practice 20. There have been other developments which caused the
bureaucratic formalities of wakfs to increase. Destruction caused by fires and other
disasters that the endowments suffered in big cities, especially in Istanbul, during the
second half of XVIth century and at the beginning of XVIIth. century, gave an
unfavorable aspect to the favorite residential districts of the city. As nobody wanted to
rent these decrepit buildings under normal leasing terms (icare-i vahide) the
'icareteyn' method was introduced at the beginning of the XVIIth century.
11. Moreover, the 'mukataali vakiflar' (wakfs whose rents were paid to the Ewkaf for
cultivated land turned into building land or gardens), the 'gedik' method (an established
place in the public service held by a kind of feudal tenure) and the 'istibdal vakf
increased the volume of the wakf formalities.
12. Under the Ottomans money donations also had become frequent. On this issue
dissent of opinion arose towards the middle of the XVIth. century between
Sheyhulislam Ebussud Efendi and Imam Birgivi, and pamphlets were exchanged.
While on the one hand, there was a Sheyhulislam who had on his shoulders grave
responsibilities and was charged with the duty to find solutions to the problems of
the society and to protect it from usurers, and, on the other hand, the opinion of a
devout man in his corner. However, in money donations, no radical and lasting
solutions could be found for putting the money accumulated in the hands of the
trustees to proper use, and resorting to subterfuges, like 'muamele-i sheriye'
(canonical device for compassing an apparently illegal purpose) and 'hile-i sheriye' (a
way of getting around the law) created a source of concern among the public.
13. The state kept various books related to the administration of wakfs, the most
important of which being the 'vakif tahrir defterleri' (wakfs recording books) in which
were recorded the summary accounts and revenues of wakfs in 'sancak's and
provinces. These books were used as reference in disputes and were kept at the Divan-i
Humayun (The Imperial Court of Chancery).. Whenever a disagreement occurred in the
wakf administration and there were discrepancies in the accounts, recourse was
made to these books. Only the 'nishanci' (the officer whose duty it was to inscribe the
sultan's monogram over all imperial letters patent) who was a member of the Imperial
Chancery was authorized to make slight changes in the margins. These Ottoman
archives are now in the custody of the Prime Ministry, while the original copies of
documents related to wakfs and deeds of trust are at the archives of the Directorate
General of Wakfs in Ankara. Under the Ottomans, twenty seven courts of justice held
trials at Istanbul, Uskudar, Galata, and Eyup and dealt with Istanbul cases. Among these
The Inspectorship of the Imperial Chancery of State ('Divan-i Humayun Mufettisligi')
and the Istanbul Ewkaf Accountancy (Istanbul Ewkaf Muhasipligi) dealt with wakf
affairs and there was no end to the cases related to wakfs which were tried in other
courts of justice of Istanbul. The administration of Ewkaf under the Ottomans deserves
to be studied in two different periods, i.e. before and after the 'Nezaret' (Supervision).
19
Halil İnalcık, “Mehmed U”, IA, vol. VU, p. 517.
20
Bahaeddin Yediyildiz, “Vakıf”, IA, vol. XUI, p. 157.

5
 Prior to the establishment of 'Ewkaf-i Humayun' (The Imperial Estates in Mortmain) the
administration and control of the wakfs were made according to the stipulations of
their founders, by various authorities and officials21.
14. Sultan Orhan had entrusted Sinan Pa§a, grand vizier, with the task of supervising the
mosques and dervish lodges he had endowed in Bursa in 1359. During the reign of
Murad U, the control of the wakfs was assumed by the 'kazasker's although an
inspector was appointed for each province to this office. Fatih Sultan Mehmet (1451-
1481) had entrusted the control of the 'kulliye' he had created in Istanbul with the Grand
Vizier Mahmud Pasha (1464) and Ishak Pasha (1467). The task of supervision of some
of the wakfs of the sultan started to be assumed as of this date. The scope of the
supervision was enlarged and taken over by 'reisulkuttap' (Secretary General). The
supervision of such endowments as mosques, madrasas, soup kitchens, bathhouses
established in Istanbul by Hurrem Sultan, wife of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent,
was entrusted by her with Hadim Mehmet Aga, thus, the office of the 'Kapi Agasi
Nezareti' (Chief White Eunuch in the Imperial Palace) was born (1545). Habesji
Mehmet Aga who had been appointed 'Darussade Agasi' (the Chief Black Eunuch of
the Palace) exercised authority and power over the 'Babilssade Agasi' (The Eunuch of
the Sultan's Harem) and became 'Ewkaf-i Haremeyn Naziri' (The Superintendent of the
Department of the Haremeyn Estates in Mortmain) as from 1587, the date at which
he had obtained an edict. Following the creation of this 'Office', it grew in size and
importance as the control of the endowments belonging to the sultan and
Darussade Agasi were added, and four offices were created, i.e. 'Ewkaf-i
Humayun Mufettisligi, muhasebeciligi, mukataacihgi and Darussade yazicihgi'
(respectively, inspectorship, accountancy, rent collecting department and Darussade
secretariat). To these were added those of Istanbul, Galata, Oskudar, and Eyup cadis,
and separately from these, those of the 'kaptanpa§a' (admiral) and Janissaries, of
'sekbanbasV (keeper of the sultan's hounds) and of 'bostancibas.1' (Commander of the
Imperial Guards), thus, bringing the number of Ewkaf Departments to twelve. The
biggest of these Departments was 'Ewkaf-i Haremeyn Nezareti'.
15. Mustafa III had the Laleli Mosque and Complex (Kulliye) constructed in 1759-63, and
under him (1757-1774) important decisions were made for the strict control of wakfs.
Although Abdulhamid stipulated that the 'Nezaret' of the 'Hamidiye Kulliye' be
entrusted with the 'Darilssade Agasi', this stipulation was changed as the administration
of the 'Hamidiye Kulliye' was given to an independent office. Under Mahmud II (1808-
1839), among the institutions which underwent radical changes, the wakfs occupied a
central position. The first step of these changes had been in the administration, but
this was not so important. The second one was the change which had occurred in the
concept of wakf which was profound and shattering.
16. The fact that the sultan made a thorough revolution in the wakf system by setting up the
'Ewkaf-i Humayun Nezareti' (The Ministry of the Imperial Estates in Mortmain) in 1826,
the year he had put an end to the janissary corps, was of towering importance.
17. As Prof. Bernard Lewis has justifiably indicated, to deal with the wakfs was a
troublesome affair. To begin with, the administration of wakfs was still in the hands
of ulemas who formed an influential class. Secondly, the wakfs had a firm religious-
legal status. Thirdly, the family and the semi-family wakfs had to do with the interest
and subsistence of thousands of people. And fourthly, the Haremeyn Wakfs which
formed the most important part of the wakfs belonged to the sacred cities for which
and for the inhabitants thereof the public felt veneration. These were important
points in the radical changes that Mahmud II purported to make. His objectives
were: to strengthen central authority; to limit the power of ulemas; to transfer a

21
Serious changes and decline in Wakf institution in the XIXth century see J. R. Barnes, An Introduction to the
Religious Foundations in the Ottoman Empire, Leiden 1986.

6
 considerable part of the rich wakfs' revenues which he had entirely transferred to
central budget, to the treasury of the 'Asakiri Mansure' (Military body formed by
Mahmud II). Another important event was the closure of the Bektashi lodges in the
wake of destruction of the Janissary corps and the resultant confiscation of their
property. The said wakfs were to be sold piecemeal and the revenues were to go to
the Treasury. Mahmud II's coveting of the wakf revenues by resorting to everything
in his power, caused the institution of wakf to weaken which became unable to provide
even for its own subsistence 22. Mahmud II, while putting into practice his planned
radical reforms in wakfs which caused restlessness among the public, had taken care to
bring Esad Efendi, Abdulve-hab Efendi and Kadizade Mehmet Tahir Efendi and other
such noted personalities willing to support his cause to the offices of 'Kazasker' and
'Sheikhulislam' since he wanted to mold public opinion and pacify the opposition.
18. Corruption and intervention in wakf affairs were the two evils which caused the
institution of wakf to degenerate and give rise to suspicions among the public. In these
wakfs, originally established in a spirit of devotion for the sake of God, abusive
operations were taking place. There was no end to corruption scandals, and no
measures taken had been able to do away with them.
19. Corruptions in the wakf institution have been subject to scathing criticism in histories
of the Ottoman Empire and in works written on 'wakf. The 'Ewkaf-i Selatin'
(Sultan's endowments) whose annual budgets amounted to huge sums were
especially exposed to corruptions. Historian Selaniki (1598), levels serious criticism
about embezzlements of incomes of sultan's wakfs after Osman Aga, the Darussade
Agha, had been entrusted with the 'Nezaret' (Supervision) of Sultans' Wakfs; about the
bribed appointments to the administration on two or three occasions per year, about
these once wealthy wakfs now almost in default of payment, and about the
hopelessness of cooking soups anymore in the soup kitchens for the poor23.
20. The spending of wakf revenues for the maintenance of dilapidated buildings was a
common stipulation encountered in all the deeds of trust. However, on many an
occasion, trustees neglected the repair work and embezzled the money. During the
execution of various transactions related to wakfs, and especially in the signing of a
rental contract and lease (icareteyn) by trustees and collectors, sometimes by both of
them in collusion, accepting of bribes was not a rare occurrence. Although
investigations about these came within the jurisdiction of the cadis, there were times
when the state issued an edict entrusting a 'muderris' (a grade in the hierarchy of the
Ulema) with the task of carrying out an investigation about the corruption charges. A
second evil was intervention. As we have already pointed out, every wakf was
supposed to be administered according to the stipulations of its founder. Under no
circumstances was it permitted to make alterations in the stipulations or to make
interventions. With a view to preventing the violation of these stipulations and
cursing all intervention, the following verse of the Koran was often quoted: “Those who
vary these directions after having heard them, the sin thereof shall surely lie on
such”24. Another curse often met with in the deeds of trust was the following: 'Whoever
makes alterations in the wakf let the curse of God, of the angels and of all the faithful be
upon him'. Ali Ferit Bey who was appointed commissar to the autonomous Bulgaria
Principality in 1902, and intended to make an inventory of the Turkish endowments in
Sofia tried to prevent the practice of Bulgarian administrators who destroyed the
wakfs for such reasons as urbanization, road constructions etc. but received the
following answer from Bulgarian authorities: 'Do the Turkish authorities not act
22
For the contemporary observations see Charles Mac Farlane, Turkey and its Destiny, London 1850, I, p.396; A.
Slade, Records of Travels in Turkey and Greece, London 1833, I, pp 232-233; C. White, Three Years in
Constantinople, London 1846, I, p. 236.
23
Mustafa Selaniki, Tarih-i Selaniki, ed. Mehmet İpşirli, Istanbul 1989, pp. 740-742.
24
Kor’an, Bakara, 11/181.

7
likewise in Istanbul, Bursa, and Izmir in removing mausoleums, kiosks, dervish lodges
on the same pretexts?' Although under certain extraordinary cases making alterations
in the deed of trust might become unavoidable, taking the decision on this issue was a
very delicate matter. It has been observed that such interventions had very adverse
results and that a great many wakfs were sold during the last days of the Ottoman
Empire and at the beginning of the Republic. According to an estimate made in 1546,
approximately one century after the conquest of Istanbul, the number of wakfs was
2515, which may give you an idea about the intensity of wakf activity under the
Ottomans. In this number, the sultans' wakfs are not included. Some of these wakfs
received money from the farthest corners and sancaks of the country. The most
important part of the wakfs in the Islamic world and especially under the Seljuks and
Ottomans had been the role they played in scientific life, in the institutions of science
and in the education of scholars. They had assumed an independent and autonomous
status. When Mahmud U, in XlXth century, usurped the wakfs from the hands of the
ulemas and integrated them with the central budget, the ulemas lost their power. The
institution of wakf born with a controversial legal status concerning the place it
occupied in the Koran and the tradition, has found great favor with society and
underwent exceptional development under Turkish rule. As a result of the state's
encouragement through incentives, madrasas, mosques, fountains and schools were
set up in the best quarters of big cities which caused economic and social life to thrive
around them. Inns, bathhouses, covered bazaars, shops and houses endowed as well
as money donations transformed the wakfs into huge economic conglomerates. The
endowments whose tasks have been taken over today by ministries and a plurality of
governmental organizations consuming the lion's share of the state budget, realized
their objectives without any expense. It is a plain fact that our country is desirous to
curtail the dimensions of the state but is faced with insurmountable difficulties. Under
the circumstances, it becomes evident that the institution of wakf often served great
ideals though sometime with occasional flaws deserves close study for the benefit of
future generations. It is still under the threat of two major evils which loom large:
corruption and intervention.