CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION CHAPTER II WOMEN AND WAQF :STATISTICAL ANALYSIS 2.1. Traces of Foundation Activities During the Ottoman Empire: Endowments Reflected in Istanbul Courts 2.2. Historical Development and Socio-Economic Characteristics ofTophane District 2.3. Investigating İstanbul’s Tophane Court: Historical Evolution, Role, and Study of Endowment Records 2.3.b. Analyzing Endowment Records Across Centuries in the Tophane Cour CHAPTER III WOMEN AND WAQF IN THE TOPHANE COURT 3.1. Unveiling the Role of Women as Founders of Awqaf : A Gendered Statistical Analysis (18th Century) 3.1.a. Comparing Gendered 18th Century Endowments in Istanbul Courts 3.1.b. Gender-Based Comparative Analysis of Endowment Activities in Tophane Court During the 18th Century 3.2. Waqf and Women: Reevaluating the Role of Women in the Ottoman Tophane Cour 3.2.a. Comparing the Property of Awqaf Founded by Women and Men in the Ottoman Tophane Court 3.2.b. Empowerment of Women: Beneficiaries of the Women’s Waqf 3.2.c. The Involvement of Women in Waqf Administration and Trustee (Mutavalli) Selection 3.2.d. Founders of Women Waqf: Revealing the Benefactors 3.3. Understanding the Motivations of Waqf Founders: Exploring Women’s Motives in Establishing Foundations CHAPTER IV CASH WAQF IN TOPHANE COURT RECORDS: AN EXPLORATION WITH FOCUS ON WOMEN 4.1. The Historical Development of Cash Waqf (Vakf-i nükûd) 4.2. Debates on Cash Waqf: A Review 4.3. Cash Awqaf in Istanbul and Tophane Court: An Investigative Study 4.4. The Relationship Between Women and Cash Endowments in the 18th Century (Tophane Court Records) CHAPTER V WAQF AND WOMEN IN THE COURT: LEGAL PROCEEDINGS 5.1. Women, Waqf and Reversion Cases 5.2. Witness Testimonies and Profile Analysis: The Role of Witnesses in the Courts CHAPTER VI CONCLUSION BIBLIOGRAPHY