The Role of the Waqfs (Philanthropic) Institutions in the Regional Social and Economic Development of the Mediterranean and the Balkans During the Ottoman Times

Abstract

History of the Mediterranean is important to understand the cultures, economies and the development of the civilizations from Mesopotamia to Greek, from Egypt to Rome, from Byzantine to Ottoman. The Mediterranean basin was the center for trade, finance, transportation and cultural exchange between diverse peoples encompassing three continents: Asia, Africa and Europe for a long time. Essentially, the Mediterranean was the centre of the world economy and trade from the beginning of the human civilizations until the modern industrialization era. And the Ottomans were one of the main actors around the Mediterranean and the Balkans.