THE WAQF OF AHI ALI (SOHTALAR/SOFTALAR) MADRASA AND ZAWIYAH AS AN OTTOMAN EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION IN KOMOTINI FROM THE 15TH TO THE 20TH CENTURY

After the Ottoman Empire began settling in the Rumelia territories, they aimed to establish a permanent presence by facilitating the settlement of Muslim Turks from Anatolia and establishing religious, social, and economic institutions and structures through waqfs (endowments). As one of the first places to be conquered in the second half of the 14th century, the settlement process began even in Komotini. The number of structures needed by the community, such as mosques, masjids, zawiyahs, tekkes, and madrasahs, increased in the city, thanks to establishment of waqfs throughout the 15th century. The first madrasa in the city was built in 1455 by Ahi Ali, who established a waqf for this purpose. Ahi Ali, a wealthy figure in the city during that period, not only lent his name to the madrasa but also provided both material and spiritual support to the B & ouml;rk & ccedil;& uuml;ler Zawiyah, which became known by his name in the 16th century. Consequently, the madrasa and the zawiyah became closely associated. These institutions continued to exist even into the 20th century when the Ottoman Empire lost control over Komotini. Through documents and registers accessed in the archives of Turkey and Greece, we have identified Ahi Ali's origins and the religious and worldly motivations that led him to establish the waqf. We have also documented the movable and immovable properties he endowed, the accounting of cash endowments contributed by the people of Komotini-particularly from the 19th century onwards-and the expenditures made for the madrasa. Thanks to records kept during the period of Greek administration in the 20th century, we obtained information about the waqf's assets, including its movable and immovable properties, income, books in the madrasa, and other belongings. Additionally, we have attempted to partially explain how Ahi Ali was recognized and remembered by the ruling class and the people of Komotini from the 18th century onwards. Thus, we have researched and examined the first madrasa of Komotini from its establishment up to the first quarter of the 20th century, based on available resources and data.