The <i>waqf al-dashīshah</i> of Mamluk sultan Qāʾitbāy

Abstract This article re-examines the waqf al-dashīshah founded by the Mamluk sultan Qāʾitbāy (r. AH 872–901/1468–1496 CE) for the distribution of dashīshah (porridge) and bread in the Ḥaramayn (Mecca and Medina), particularly in Medina. Drawing on a comprehensive analysis of MS Arabe 1118 (Bibliothèque nationale de France) alongside related sources, it reconstructs the operational logic and historical trajectory of this endowment. The article argues that Qāʾitbāy’s waqf al-dashīshah functioned not merely as a personal charitable foundation but as a centrally managed provisioning system that channelled agrarian surplus from Egypt to the Hijaz. Its property base, transport infrastructure, and involvement of officials embedded the waqf within the administrative practices of the Mamluk or Cairo Sultanate, while the frequent use of state treasury land further blurred the boundary between public finance and pious endowment. Tracing the waqf ’s continued operation and adaptation under early Ottoman rule, moreover, the article demonstrates its durability as an institutional mechanism. Overall, it shows that the waqf al-dashīshah served simultaneously as charity, governance, and political representation, articulating the Cairo Sultanate’s claim to authority as khādim al-Ḥaramayn (the server of the Ḥaramayn ) within a context of intensifying inter-Muslim competition.