Foundation administrations and foundation landownership in Turkey from past to present

Abstract

The traces of foundation civilization are seen in every period of Turkish history. During the Seljuk period, the foundations occupied an important position in the community life and this importance peaked during the Ottoman period. During the last periods of the Ottoman, feeling the necessity to assemble the administration of the foundations under one center and administrate them, the Ministry of Imperial Foundation was established, and by this way, the foundations were assembled under the same roof for the first time. Since the proclamation of the Republic, the foundations have been serving the society by executing the purposes, written under the administration and control of the General Directorate for Foundations, contingent upon the Prime Ministry and in their endowment. It is possible to examine the foundations of the Ottoman period in various categories like their entities, landownerships, administrations, the way they are rented, benefitted and their incomes. Together with the laws, that were put into force during the Republic period, the administration and control of the foundations were put in order and the legislation of the foundations took its final form with the law no. 5737 that was put into force the rear. The foundations in Turkey are still under the administration and control of the General Directorate for Foundations, which is contingent upon the Prime Ministry and they execute the foundation services by evaluating their immovables, by favour of 25 Regional Directorates. In this study, the foundations in Turkey have been examined from the point of administration and landownership, from past to present; foundation occurance and basic problems have been tried to be revealed by making a detailed research about the foundations in the instance of the province of Samsun.