The Development of Díwán al-awqáf in Egypt in the 19th Century: Regulations of 1837 and 1851

0351258 - OÚ 2011 RIV CZ eng J - Journal Article
Melčák, Miroslav
The Development of Díwán al-awqáf in Egypt in the 19th Century: Regulations of 1837 and 1851.
Archiv orientální: Quarterly Journal of African and Asian Studies. Roč. 78, č. 1 (2010), s. 1-34. ISSN 0044-8699
Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z90210515
Keywords : Waqf * Egypt * Muhammad Ali
Subject RIV: AB - History

The paper traces the establishment and development of dīwān al-awqāf in Egypt in the 19th century. It analyzes two manuscript documents (Regulations of 1837 and 1851) stored in the Egyptian state archive in Cairo. The aim of this paper is to present a full edition of both documents and review their content in the context of dīwān’s institutional development. It is demonstrated that the regulation of 1837 is, contrary to earlier assessments, predicative of the dīwān only to a limited extent. Its significance is reassessed within the broad framework of Muhammad Alī’s waqf policy. Then the document of 1851 is introduced. It represents most probably the very first preserved constitutive document of dīwān al-awqāf in 19th century Egypt. The content of the document makes it possible to define the structure of the dīwān and its executive powers. The paper concludes with a survey of the development of dīwān al-awqāf up to 1895, when it evolved into a sophisticated bureau of administration.
Permanent Link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0191049