Svetlana Ivanova

The Large Charity Foundations
of Ottoman Elite in Rumely, 17th-18th Century

Summary

The religious charity is a conservative system, which continues to function even in modern societies, where subsidization of the culture, social support and public utilities is carried out in attire of religious charity. This paper studies the relation of money and culture in the extremely conservative Islamic charity during 17^th-18^th c. We try to describe the “etiquette”, which a few representatives of the Ottoman provincial military-administrative elite (umera) followed while establishing their vakfs, based on their vakifnames from 17^th-18^th c. concerning foundations in present day Bulgarian territories: Vkfie of kethuda Mehmed pasha, 1663, for creation of kasaba Islamlu in kaza Filibe (mosque, school, han, hamam, other facilities, market place and celtuk in near countryside); vakf documents of foundation of Mustafa pasha, sancakbey of Vidin, 1718, situated in new Southern area of the town of Vidin (mosque, mekteb, medrese and other facilities); vakfie of elhacc Osman kasbbasi, 1727, donated as vakf plenty of objects in Vidin, Nikbolu, Lom). The program of such large vakfs could include the following aims: building centers of Islam religion and culture and of material conditions in accordance with the Islamic way of life in the provinces; providing the traffic by the construction of infrastructure; stimulating the development of new settlements or their development into towns; economical cultivation of new lands and construction of infrastructure for commerce and crafts in towns; financing of other spent foundations; support servants of the religion and culture.