Endowments (Al-Awqaf) are one of the historical entrances adopted by ancient societies to revive, sustain and preserve some essential objects, whether buildings or otherwise, on the one hand.
On the other hand, in examining Sustainability, it is clear that it has environmental, social, and economic approaches.
Through these aspects, and under the current conditions of societies in different countries, concerning changing ways of thinking and scientific and technological capabilities, the following questions arise:
1. Can the role of endowments be revived, organized, and managed?
2. Can it be activated strongly commensurate with the capabilities of the current era?
3. Can it be considered one of the recommended approaches to achieve sustainability as an ultimate goal?
Dear Dr Konbr,
Interesting question. Waqf, as you mentioned, is a potential and a possibility, not inherently good or bad. It can show its (destructive or enhancing) capacities in its interplay with other political and economic factors. In some contexts, waqf can become a rigid and self-centred economic organisation, not showing interest in conservation or anything that disturbs its economic development. It can become almost similar to a private owner who thinks mainly about generating more financial capital from its properties. See: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/320464366_The_Iranian_bazaar_as_a_public_place_a_reintegrative_approach_and_a_method_applied_towards_the_case_study_of_the_Tabriz_Bazaar
I have also briefly talked about waqf and conservation here:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/334121938_Tracing_the_Identity-driven_Ambitions_of_the_Iranian_Urban_Conservation_Apparatus).
Some scholars like Rostom have a more optimistic approach to waqf. See (Rustom, J. (2016). Waqf urban strategies in Beirut (1860-1908) from charity to real-estate speculation to denominational representation ).
As an Iranian scholar, I cannot be as optimistic as my colleagues in other Islamic countries, when it comes to waqf (as an organisation, not a tradition).
Good luck with your research.
I read some articles and books in Islamic history and met the meaning of endowments (Al-Awqaf). Its primary purpose was to develop the society, which is currently called sustainable development. It was a successful idea that led to a recognizable development. Some Orientalists thought it played a primary goal for the rising of the golden age of Islamic civilization, which pushed it forward toward progress in all sciences and fields. To sum up, it has been demonstrated that it was an essential idea for societies' development. Personally, I think its effective role cannot end, but on the contrary, it can be re-activated entirely to fulfill its normal role toward promoting the sustainable development of societies.
The role of Endowments (Al-Awqaf) has been widely different from one Islamic country to another and from one period to another. Personally, I hold the view that the answer to your question is highly dependent on the context of the country and the power and responsibilities of different actors. Since it is a case by case situation, the answer can be widely varied and complicated in different countries. What I can say for sure is that one must take a specific case and undertake a comprehensive study on the role and the tasks of different actors and decision-makers. The following questions must be addressed:
1- Who are different players in heritage conservation and what are their tasks?
2- Which are beneficiary and who brings capital in preservation process?
3- Is there any heiriarchy or controlling system of one organisation to another? How are different actors related to the decision-making process?
4- What is the role of ownerships of cultural assets and their preservation zones? How different actors respond to ownership legally?
and so on ...
All in all, I guess as in one Islamic country Endowments (Al-Awqaf) can be an advantage to sustainability, in another region it may play exactly the opposite role.
Dear Farnaz Mohseni
"In general, I believe that endowments in one Islamic country can be an advantage of sustainability" I agree with you on that statement. Whereas the phrase, "In another area, it might play the exact opposite role" is complicated for my mind to understand.
Could you, please, explain more?
Of course,
I have only information on this subject in some examples from Iran, so maybe it is different in other countries. A wide range of cultural properties, under the supervision Awqaf, are not necessarily religious buildings. However, sometimes, especially in the case of Bazaars or Suqs, the conservation process can get more complicated, when you have Awqaf involved. In such a vast property with lots of small shops, the number of actors is increased dramatically. You have private owners, Awqaf, cultural preservation organisation, municipality, ICOMOS, NGOs, and etc. Moreover, Bazaars are still economic hearths of many Islamic cities. the land price is unimaginable and the economic profit of ownership is dramatic. You have Awqaf as one of the owners, with a significant amount of benefit. On the contrary, there is the cultural heritage organisation, as neither the owner nor the beneficiary player. It is hard to imagine an equal communication in the decision-making process of heritage preservation in such cases.
So, basically, you have two different organisation, Awqaf and cultural heritage preservation, which must work in parallel in the case of many properties. Sometimes the difference in aims and tasks and benefit of these two can contradict and one can see the lack of synergy. This is exactly the opposite of sustainability.
Has anyone encountered a study that deals with an endowment in general or deals with it in terms of its impact on sustainability as a concept or application?
What do you mean by sustainability? An environmental concept? Maintenance of cultural properties/heritage sites? "Development of society" does not fit with many definitions of "sustainability."
Endowments may be beneficial in detail - not in general. Enviromental sustainability addresses broad practices, and specific cultural objects/sites/objects may be maintained via endowment but generally all remain at risk to political, cultural, place/time based realities.
Dear Phil Geis,
I totally agree with you, but my goal is not to focus on dealing with environmental sustainability only, but sustainability in the broad sense so that there is a broad framework to revive the endowment's role through which real estate and benefits can be sustained through funds and donations.
We know that some endowments have historically been exposed to political and cultural facts based on place/time, but maximizing the role of the endowment and society's understanding of it and its work details can contribute to the disappearance of some of these mentioned problems.
Phil Geis Farnaz Mohseni
Are there proposals, mechanisms, or methods through which the role of the endowment can be revived?
Are there international or local experiences that can be used to study the endowment as an input to enhance the concepts of sustainability, conservation, protection, etc.?
Usama Konbr I will search and see if I can find something in English.
There are groups that have purchased/taken possession of properties to prevent their development (described here - https://www.mackinac.org/article.aspx?ID=36). These would not fall under the (English) definition of endowment - to gift monies to another party as a source of income/operating capital.
in common useage, "sSustainability" is either marketing hype or political /virtue positioning. Usama, as it's your qursrion - can you clarify what you see as "sustainability"?
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