The role of Waqf in creating and rehabilitating water supply systems in the Ilkhanid period

Ilkhanid(656-736 AH) government, upon establishment,started measures to organize the endowment and prevent harm on the endowment property. With all damage done by Mongols’ invasion to Iran’s infrastructure during the Ilkhanid period, it was necessary to create and rehabilitate water supply systems. For this reason, the capacity of the endowment institution was used in this field. The present study used descriptive-analytical method with library resources to investigate the role of endowment in creating and reviving water supply systems in the Ilkhanid period. This research has investigated the endowments of Ghazan,Khwajeh Rashid Aldin Fazlullah, Rukn Aldin and Shams Aldin Yazdi, Tarkan Khatun, Amin Aldin Balyani and Ala al-Dowla Semnani and other benefactors in the field of water supply in the Ilkhanid period. According to the findings of this research in the Ilkhanid period, in addition to the rulers and ministers, many members of the society, such as local rulers, officials, mystics and benefactors have consciously used the capacity of the endowment institution to creation and rehabilitation of water supply systems.In fact, the creation and rehabilitation of water supply systems in the Ilkhanid period was the result of the efforts of all influential people in the society, and the endowments of ministers such as Khwajeh Rashid Aldin ,despite the wide range of endowment cases, were located in limited areas of the territory of the Ilkhanid government. Also, according to the findings of the research ,aqueduct endowment flourished in the central regions of Iran such as Yazd, Kerman and Esfahan during the Ilkhanid period.