Waqf in Central Asia : Four Hundred Years in the History of a Muslim Shrine, 1480-1889

Waqfs, or religious endowments, have long been at the very center of daily Islamic life, establishing religious, cultural, and welfare institutions and serving as a legal means to keep family property intact through several generations. In this book R. D. McChesney focuses on the major Muslim shrine at Balkh--once a flourishing city on an ancient trade route in what is now northern Afghanistan--and provides a detailed study of the political, economic, and social conditions that influenced, and were influenced by, the development of a single religious endowment. From its founding in 1480 until 1889, when the Afghan government took control of it, the waqf at Balkh was a formidable economic force in a financially dynamic region, particularly during those times when the endowment's sacred character and the tax privileges it acquired gave its managers considerable financial security. This study sheds new light on the legal institution of waqf within Muslim society and on how political conditions affected the development of socio-religious institutions throughout Central Asia over a period of four hundred years. Originally published in 1991. The **Princeton Legacy Library** uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905. Waqfs, or religious endowments, have long been at the very center of daily Islamic life, establishing religious, cultural, and welfare institutions and serving as a legal means to keep family property intact through several generations. In this book R.D. McChesney focuses on the major Muslim shrine at Balkh--once a flourishing city on an ancient trade route in what is now northern Afghanistan--and provides a detailed study of the political, economic, and social conditions that influenced, and were influenced by, the development of a single religious endowment. From its founding in 1480 until 1889, when the Afghan government took control of it, the waqf at Balkh was a formidable economic force in a financially dynamic region, particularly during those times when the endowment's sacred character and the tax privileges it acquired gave its managers considerable financial security. This study sheds new light on the legal institution of waqf within Muslim society and on how political conditions affected the development of socio-religious institutions throughout Central Asia over a period of four hundred years. Originally published in 1991. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These paperback editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905 Contents Preface Note on Transliteration Abbreviations Maps CHAPTER ONE. Introduction CHAPTER TWO. The Origins of the 'Alid Shrine at Balkh CHAPTER THREE. Waqf in Its Political Setting CHAPTER FOUR. Balkh, 1599-1647: Appanage Politics and the Growth of the 'Alid Waqf CHAPTER FIVE. Balkh and the Shrine, 1651-1681 CHAPTER SIX. The Evolution of the Shrine and Its Administration CHAPTER SEVEN. The Eclipse of the Appanage System: Balkh toward the End of the Seventeenth Century CHAPTER EIGHT. The Waqf Administration, 1668-1738 CHAPTER NINE. The Nadirid Occupation of Balkh, 1737-1747 CHAPTER TEN. The Consequences of Autonomy: The Emergence of a Shrine-State in the Century after 1747 CHAPTER ELEVEN. Shrine-State to Provincial Capital: The Muhammadza'i Mandate in Balkh, 1849-1889 CHAPTER TWELVE. Waqf under the Afghans CHAPTER THIRTEEN. Shrine-State to State Shrine CHAPTER FOURTEEN. Conclusions Glossary Bibliography Index