Managing The Waqfs Of Turkistan Under Russian Imperial Administration: Legal Restrictions And Their Consequences

Abstract

The article examines the legal and administrative transformation Accepted: 28-05-2026 of the waqf institution in the Turkistan region following its incorporation into the Russian Empire. Particular attention is paid to the legal status of waqf properties, Published:09-06-2026 the introduction of administrative supervision, taxation, and restrictions on the establishment of new waqfs under the Statute on the Administration of the Turkistan Region of 1886 and subsequent regulations. The study analyses the impact of these measures on the economic sustainability, management, and social functions of waqf institutions, including mosques, madrasas, caravanserais, Copyright: © 2026 by the authors. bazaars, mills, and bathhouses. Archival documents, normative legal acts, Submitted for open access publication periodical publications, and writings of Jadid intellectuals are used to identify under the terms and conditions of the both external administrative pressures and internal factors that contributed to the Creative Commons Attribution (CC weakening of the waqf system. The article also considers the views of Munavvar BY) license Qori Abdurashidkhonov and other intellectuals concerning the adaptation of (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/ waqf to changing social and educational needs. The findings demonstrate that by/4.0/) colonial administrative intervention, combined with weaknesses in internal management, disrupted the traditional functioning and development of the waqf institution.