The Waqf of Saruca Pasha in Gallipoli and Agricultural Economy in 17th Century Thrace

The waqf of Saruca Pasha in Gallipoli was a medium-size imperial waqf. It derived its income from both urban and rural revenue sources. The largest part of the waqf’s income came from the agricultural revenue sources in the Eastern Thrace. The financial situation of the waqf in the first half of the 17th century can be followed through the account books and correlated with the local agricultural conditions. The present study aims at contributing to the debate on economic crisis in the Ottoman Empire and it is a part of a wider project which analyses the large waqfs financially and examines the local agricultural history in the Balkans. In the first half of the 17th century, the waqf of Saruca Pasha experienced short-term financial fluctuations due mainly to the changes in local conditions. However, a long-term crisis in agricultural economy did not show and the waqf did not fall into a serious financial hardship.