Financial History of the Waqf of Süleyman Pasha and Agricultural Economy in 17th-century Thrace

The waqf of Süleyman Pasha in Bolayır was among the largest waqf institutions in Thrace. The waqf held urban-based revenue sources. However, it derived the major part of its income from agricultural holdings in the Eastern Thrace. Therefore, rural revenues of the waqf were sensitive to the adverse changes in the regional agircultural conditions. This study examines the waqf account books pertaining to the first half of the seventeenth century and reveals the financial history of the waqf. It is part of a wider project dealing with the economic history of Balkans in the 17th century. The financial analysis of the waqf shows no decline in the waqf revenues or a deep financial crisis in the examination period. However, local developments affecting the agricultural production and natural disasters damaging the waqf properties led to short-term financial distres