Jordan Journal For History and Archaeology Volume 18, No.2, 2024 - 160 - © 2024 DSR Publishers/The University of Jordan. All Rights Reserved. The Legacy of the Waqf Institution in Kosovo during the Period of Sultan Abdulhamid II  Fahri Avdija 1  https://doi.org/10.35516/jjha.v18i2.1302 Abstract This article explores the history of the establishment of Ottoman waqf institutions in Kosovo, with specific emphasis on the reign of Sultan Abdulhamid II. Through the analysis of primary sources from the Ottoman Archive in Istanbul and the General Directorate of Foundations Archive in Ankara, the study provides a comprehensive overview of the awqaf established by Sultan Abdulhamid II himself, statesmen and the common people known as reaya. The research found that while the first waqf institutions in Kosovo were established by sultans and were large complexes known as külliye, later in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, they were established more by the people of the region and were usually small places of worship and other waqf institutions that provided material income such as shops and monetary foundations. The implications of these findings shed light on the role of waqf in the development of Kosovo’s social and economic structures during the late Ottoman period. Keywords: Waqf Endowments, Kosovo, Sultan Abdulhamid II, Albanians. INTRODUCTION The arrival of the Ottomans in the Balkans brought significant cultural, religious, and institutional changes. One of the notable aspects was the introduction of Islam and the establishment of Islamic institutions, including the waqf. The word waqf 1 (pl. awqaf), which is an Arabic word meaning “to hold”, refers to a charitable act where a property is permanently allocated by its owner to a religious, social, or charitable cause (Günay 2012 vol. 42: 475). It is one of the most significant institutions that formed the foundation of Islamic civilization. The waqf has had a profound impact on individuals, not just in terms of religion, but also in social and cultural aspects. Its concept has been deeply intertwined with the religious and social life of Muslims for centuries. It involves the setting aside of property for the purpose of helping people, constructing a mosque, school, bridge, road, hostel, hospital, and even in creating income-generating awqaf such as stores and monetary foundations. Historically, waqf institutions have played a critical role in providing essential services to citizens. In fact, nearly all the services that are now under state authority were once 1 Oriental Studies Dept. Faculty of Philology, Pristina Univ., Pristina, Republic of Kosova,  fahri.avdija@uni-pr.edu Received on 17/6/2023 and accepted for publication on 12/12/2023. 1 Throughout my studies, I have noticed that the word “waqf” appears in different forms in academic papers written in English and other languages. As a result, in order to provide the best explanation possible in this paper, we shall use the term “waqf” alongside the phrases “endowment” and “foundation”.