ABSTRACT

The waqf documents preserved in almost all the parts of the Muslim world

contain rich information on the past social life of Muslim communities. These

documents have attracted a wide range of specialists engaged in historical

research into every aspect of the Islamic world, including the history of

Muslim Central Asia. Aware of the documents’ importance as historical

sources, several specialists in this area devoted themselves to studying waqf

deeds drawn up at various times in the region. Rich and specific information

drawn from the contents of these documents appears to have been well

analyzed by scholars, mainly from socio-historical or socio-economic

historical viewpoints.1 However, researchers have paid much less attention to

both the external appearance and internal structure of the documents2 even

though the form of a document sometimes gives information as valuable as that

provided by the contents.