The waqfs of Ankara during XVth and XVIth centuries

This study is based on vakıf tahrir defterleri, of Ankara an important source for the social and economic history of the Ottoman Empire. It tries to show how the waqfs in Ankara contributed to the social and economic development of the city during the XV.th and XVI.th centuries.The primary source of the research is a defter dated to the period of Süleyman the Magnificent, 928 After Hagireh (1522). This defter is transcribed according to general assumptions. But the data in the vakıf registers of the reign of both Fatih and Selim II are also utilized. By comparing these defters, the income and expenditure figures are reached and the administrative form of the vakıf is learned, which is attested by the data given in a detailed table.The number of the vakıfs in Ankara during XV.th and XVI.th centuries, the level of increase in their revenues together with other specifications, contain precious information for the history of the period. As a valuable source capable of showing the role of vakıf in human life, the fields of expenditure in vakıf tahrir defters, with respect to social history, are of particular importance. The thesis in fact tries to highlight this point.Key Words:1-Waqf institution2-Ankara vakıf tahrir defteri3-The reign of Kanuni4-Waqf officers5-Operation of the waqfs