Document Type : Research Paper
Authors
1 Ph.D. in Iranian Islamic History, Payam Noor University, Tehran, Iran.
2 . Assistant Professor, Iranian Studies Foundation
Abstract
The present study aims to elucidate the methods by which merchant benefactors in the city of Sari selected the trustees of their endowments during the Qajar period, and to analyze the social logic underpinning these choices. As one of the most significant institutions structuring economic, religious, and social affairs in Qajar Iran, the waqf system reflected local configurations of power, social trust, and kinship networks. The process through which founders appointed trustees offers valuable insight into patterns of trust, the status of social groups, and the function of kinship ties within Sari’s urban society. The findings indicate that trustee selection was predominantly embedded within the benefactors’ kinship networks, and in some cases showed a tendency toward individuals possessing recognized religious or social standing. This suggests that trust grounded in familial ties, as well as religious prestige, played a critical role in the management of endowments.Furthermore, the results show that merchant benefactors, by choosing trustees from among relatives or persons with notable social reputation, sought to ensure the continuity of the endowments’ functions and the safeguarding of their intended purposes. Overall, the pattern of trustee appointment in Sari’s Qajar-period endowments reflects the city’s social structure, the significance of kinship networks, and the central role of religious status in mechanisms of social trust. It also demonstrates that the administration of endowments relied less on formal institutional procedures and more on social relationships and individual credibility.
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