Vaqf in the Safavid period

Abstract

Vaqf has existed among Muslim peoples and nations throughout the ages. Vaqf was part of the same story in Safavid times. The Safavid dynasty, with its long history of Sufism and Sufi leadership, and having survived and come to political power principally with the support of endowments and offerings, was intimately familiar with the tradition of vaqf. The expansion of endowments in the later Safavid period was so great and conspicuous that European travelers and residents of Isfahan paid significant attention to it, with Engelbert Kaempfer observing that ‘a true understanding of conditions at the Iranian court’ is not possible without an accurate understanding of the institution of vaqf. One practice common among all nations and religions is the giving of gifts, offerings, and endowments to temples and religious sites. Thus, it was natural for the Safavid government, which ruled in the name of a particular ideology, to claim that it was mandated to promote Shi‘ism.