Same And Different: Cash Waqf Records of The Foundation Accounting Court (1491-1828)

Abstract

The study has been planned with reliance on a previous study conducted Istanbul Şer'iyye Re gistry Courts, Davudpaşa Court, cash waqfs. In this context, the study primarily aims at manifesting the long-term relationship of cash waqfs with economic, political and social events throughout studies that will be conducted using the same methods on other registries. By a comparison made between two courts later on, it will query as to which degree the fi ndings support each other. In order to obtain a sustainable series from the fi rst documents that majorly include data from the 19th century, the Foundation Accounting Court, which mostly include data from the 17th and 18th centuries, was chosen as the research space. 109 endowments, which use the cash waqf operation method, were determined amongst the foundations that were approved by the Foundation Accounting Court. When the endowments found were completed with the previous study, a series of 420 years were obtained through the examination of 312 charities between 1491- 1911. It was understood that the cash waqfs, which were established essentially for the same purpose during the process, manifested diff erent particularities depending on the wishes by persons and the period they were established. They gathered in special Ottoman foundations called avarız during some periods very low amounts were devoted in other periods and whereas public works were at the forefront at some periods other periods put emphasis education. An emphasis was made on the causation of such behaviors and an evaluation was made about their impacts on daily lives.