The construction activities of Şeyhülislams in Istanbul

Within the framework of the construction and building relations, this study includes the analysis and evaluation of the endowment documents (vakfiye) of the waqfs (vakıf) belong to the 27 Ottoman şeyhülislams which are available in the Archives of the General Directorate of Foundations. The şeyhülislams, who were at the highest level of not only the ulama and the scholarly class (ilmiye sınıfı) but also of the bureaucracy, had high standards of prosperity, with prestige and authority at the religious, administrative, legal and social levels. Thanks to these advantages, şeyhülislams had the necessary financial and moral reasons to actively and intensively operate the system of waqfs, one of the most deeply rooted and important institutions of Ottoman society. For these reasons, it is important to show şeyhülislams' contributions to the structuring of Istanbul through civil and public architectural tools in terms of urban studies. The evaluation made in this thesis will shed light on the purposes and the reasons why the şeyhülislams established waqfs or not, as well as their contribution to the contemporary Istanbul using the information, belongs to the buildings' functions, numbers, sizes and whether they have survived up to the present. In this manner, the construction, building and revival activities carried out by the 27 şeyhülislams in Istanbul have been catalogued in detail through the endowment documents which were used as the primary source for listing the properties. And a small number of buildings with more information on secondary sources are also elaborated on in subsequent subheadings. Key Words: Construction, urban, şeyhülislam, waqf, endowment documents.