Muṭāli̒āt-i tārīkh-i farhangī(Cultural History Studies)

Women’s Endowments in Gilan during the Qajar Period: A Historical Reading of Property, Religiosity, and Social Agency

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Fatemeh Rostami 1
Abbas Panahi 2
Nadia Rah 3

1 Assistant Professor in Guilan Studies, University of Guilan., Rasht, Iran,

2 Professor in Guilan Studies, University of Guilan., Rasht, Iran

3 PhD in History, Islamic Azad University, Science and Research Branch, Tehran, Iran.

https://doi.org/10.22034/chs.2026.583683.1178
Abstract
The tradition of waqf (charitable endowment) in Iran has a long history rooted in the social, political, and religious developments of the region. Beyond being a charitable act, waqf functioned as a strategic instrument for consolidating ownership and preserving wealth within a social structure undergoing transformation in Iran. In Gilan, as in other parts of the country, this institution had a long-standing background. Historical reports indicate that endowments increased for various reasons from the Safavid era to the Qajar period. During the Qajar era, the economy of Gilan experienced significant growth due to the commercialization of its strategic agricultural products. With the rising wealth of affluent families, the financial capacity of women also expanded. Some of these women endowed part of their movable and immovable property, often with ritual and religious purposes. By examining archival documents and waqf deeds from Gilan, this study seeks to answer the question of how female endowers achieved independent legal agency through the institution of waqf. The findings indicate that women endowers in Gilan utilized the juridical capacities of Islamic law concerning land ownership and the administration of trusteeship (tawliyat) to employ waqf as a mechanism for safeguarding capital and reproducing social power. By appointing themselves or their children as trustees, they established a form of intra-family mechanism for controlling and transferring wealth, which partially compensated for the lack of formal legal protections in Iran before the institutionalization of modern legal systems. Using documentary sources and a descriptive-analytical approach, the research challenges common assumptions about the passivity of women within the patriarchal structure of the Qajar period and demonstrates that the actions of female endowers in Gilan represented a conscious form of management aimed at securing their economic independence within society.

Keywords

Women&‌‌rsquo
s Property, Gilan, Qajar Period, Waqf Economy, Archival Documents
Endowments and Charity Affairs Organization of Gilan Province (Archives)
Doc. No. 2697
sand kelaseh B/13
sand kelaseh F/1
sand kelaseh Kh/2
sand kelaseh Z/105
sand kelaseh Z/7
sand kelasehF/3
sand kelasehZ/16
 
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Muṭāli̒āt-i tārīkh-i farhangī(Cultural History Studies)
Volume 18, Issue 67 - Serial Number 67
Winter 2026
Spring 2026
Pages 31-64

  • Receive Date 28 May 2026
  • Revise Date 29 June 2026
  • Accept Date 11 July 2026
  • Publish Date 22 May 2026

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