Women Vaqfs in the Sixteenth-century Sanjak of Kruševac (Alaca Hisâr)

Abstract

The role of the vaqf in the Ottoman Empire, as in the whole Islamic world, was quite significant, especially in a period marked by the founding of new orien­tal settlements. The first endowers in the newly-conquered lands were sultans, begs and prominent government officials. Affluent citizens also took part in endowing their cities, and women are known to have been among them. The aim of the paper, based on Ottoman sources, is to shed light on the participation of Muslim women in this kind of humanitarian and lucrative activity using the example of the Sanjak of Kruševac (Alaca Hisâr) in the sixteenth century.