Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in
Book cover

The Imperial Politics of Architectural Conservation pp 103–133Cite as

Waqf and the Zenith of Colonial Conservation Politics (1935–1960)

  • Chapter
  • First Online:

  • 137 Accesses

Part of the book series: Heritage Studies in the Muslim World ((HSMW))

Abstract

This chapter deals with the period from 1935 to 1960: a socially and politically complex time, which saw the further erosion of the traditional waqf practices, especially close community involvement with monitoring buildings and initiating work on them. The chapter links a range of legislative and conservation initiatives to the increasingly complex local and international political context. This included the continuing Greek nationalist unrest and conflicts in the Turkish-Cypriot community between more traditional Muslims and secularist Kemalists. Conservation policy became rather convoluted. On the one hand, it sought to meet modern expectations of protection and conservation of all the island’s heritage buildings, yet on the other it was used to now support the more traditional Muslims who were seen as less threatening to British interests.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

Chapter
USD   29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD   39.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD   54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Learn about institutional subscriptions

Notes

  1. 1.

    On the inspection of the premises, which then were being used as flats accommodating poor families, the director of Medical Services had ordered the enlargement of windows to provide adequate ventilation of rooms on the ground floor of the Khan (document, dated June 7, 1937, in BEF-1935-245-5038).

  2. 2.

    See, for instance, the permit that was issued by the Department of Antiquities (DoA) considering the insertion of concealed reinforced concrete ties at the base of the dome and above the arches of the masjid at the Beuyuk Khan in Nicosia (document, dated July 27, 1955, in BEF-1927-180-4057).

  3. 3.

    For instance, in a newspaper article from Halkın Sesi , dated February 15, 1945, the Evkaf administration was criticised by Necati Özkan for issuing long-term leases which were against the Waqf Law and were damaging the institution’s financial resources (BEF-1947-312-6372).

  4. 4.

    The Directorate General of Foundations.

References

  • Akar, T. (2009). The Role of Vakıf Institution in the Conservation of Vakıf Based Cultural Heritage. PhD Thesis, Middle East Technical University.

    Google Scholar 

  • Altan, M. H. (1986). Belgelerle Kıbrıs Türk Vakıflar Tarihi. Kıbrıs: Evkaf İdaresi Yayınları.

    Google Scholar 

  • Altınyıldız, N. (2007). The Architectural Heritage of Istanbul and the Ideology of Preservation. Muqarnas, 24, 281–305.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Anonymous. (1934). The Cyprus Committee for the Preservation of the Ancient and Medieval Monuments of Cyprus. An Appeal to Preserve Its Historic Antiquities.

    Google Scholar 

  • Anonymous. (1935). The Cyprus Committee for the Preservation of the Ancient and Medieval Monuments of Cyprus. First Report 1934–1935.

    Google Scholar 

  • Anonymous. (1936). The Cyprus Committee for the Preservation of the Ancient and Medieval Monuments of Cyprus. Second Report 1936.

    Google Scholar 

  • Anonymous. (1942). The Cyprus Committee for the Preservation of the Ancient and Medieval Monuments of Cyprus. Eight Report 1942.

    Google Scholar 

  • Anonymous. (1948). The Cyprus Committee for the Preservation of the Ancient and Medieval Monuments of Cyprus. Thirteenth Report 1947–48.

    Google Scholar 

  • Anonymous. (1959). Cyprus Antiquities Chapter 31 of the Laws 1959 Edition. London

    Google Scholar 

  • Anonymous. (1979, April 5). Eski Eserlere Ait Listelerin Resmi Gazetede Yayınlanması. Kıbrıs Türk Federe Devleti Resmi Gazete Supplement IV, 29, 45–48.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ateşin, M. H. (1996). Kıbrıs’ta İslami Kimlik Davası. İstanbul: Marifet Yayınları.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ateşin, M. H. (1999). Kıbrıslı Müslümanların Türkleşme ve Laikleşme Serüveni 1925–1975. İstanbul: Marifet Yayınları.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bağışkan, T. (2009). Ottoman, Islamic and Islamized Monuments in Cyprus (trans: Sinclair, T.). Nicosia: Cyprus Turkish Education Foundation.

    Google Scholar 

  • Blackall, H. W. B. (1935, May 10). A Bill Entitled: A Law to Consolidate and Amend the Law Relating to Antiquities. Supplement to the Cyprus Gazette, No. 2441, pp. 315–330.

    Google Scholar 

  • Çağdaş, C. (1967). Kıbrıs Türk Müzesi Kılavuzu. Nicosia.

    Google Scholar 

  • Given, M. (1998). Inventing the Eteocypriots: Imperialist Archaeology and the Manipulation of Ethnic Identity. Journal of Mediterranean Studies, 11(1), 3–29.

    Google Scholar 

  • Godwin-Austen, R. A., & Munir, M. (1936, April 9). Evcaf: Report of Delegates on Accounts. The Cyprus Gazette, No: 2508, pp. 235–236.

    Google Scholar 

  • Godwin-Austen, R. A., & Munir, M. (1937, March 25). Evcaf: Report of Delegates on Accounts. The Cyprus Gazette, No: 2575, pp. 137–138.

    Google Scholar 

  • Godwin-Austen, R. A., & Munir, M. (1939, May 5). Evcaf: Report of Delegates on Accounts. The Cyprus Gazette, No: 2723, pp. 305–306.

    Google Scholar 

  • Godwin-Austen, R. A., & Munir, M. (1940, April 3). Evcaf: Report of Delegates on Accounts. The Cyprus Gazette, No: 2824, pp. 145–146.

    Google Scholar 

  • Henry, R. N., & Kemal, M. (1950, June 15). Evcaf: Report of Delegates on Accounts. The Cyprus Gazette, No: 3503, p. 420.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kızılyürek, N. (2006). The Turkish Cypriots: From an Ottoman-Muslim Community to a National Community. In H. Faustmann & N. Peristianis (Eds.), Britain in Cyprus—Colonialism, and Post-colonialism 1878–2006 (pp. 315–325). Mannheim/Mohnsee: Bibliopolis.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nevzat, A., & Hatay, M. (2009). Politics, Society and the Decline of Islam in Cyprus: From the Ottoman Era to the Twenty-First Century. Middle Eastern Studies, 45(6), 911–933.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sabri, R. (2013). The Ottoman Waqf Built Heritage in Cyprus: Transitions in the Upkeep and Conservation Practices During the British Colonial Era (1878 to 1960). PhD Thesis, University of Manchester.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sabri, R. (2015). Transitions in the Ottoman Waqf’s Traditional Building Upkeep and Maintenance System in Cyprus During the British Colonial Era (1878–1960) and the Emergence of Selective Architectural Conservation Practices. International Journal of Heritage Studies, 21(5), 512–527.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sabri, R. (2016). The Genesis of Hybrid Architectural Preservation Practices in British Colonial Cyprus. Architectural Research Quarterly, 20(3), 231–244.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sabri, R. (2017). From an Inconsequential Legacy to National Heritage: Revisiting the Conservation Approaches Towards the Ottoman Buildings in British Colonial Cyprus. Conservation and Management of Archaeological Sites, 19(1), 55–81.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sabri, R. (2019). Greek Nationalism, Architectural Narratives, and a Gymnasium That Wasn’t. International Journal of Heritage Studies, 25(2), 178–197.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sanders, P. (2003). The Victorian Invention of Medieval Cairo: A Case Study of Medievalism and the Construction of the East. Middle East Studies Association Bulletin, 37(2), 179–198.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sanders, P. (2008). Creating Medieval Cairo: Empire, Religion, and Architectural Preservation in Nineteenth Century Egypt. Cairo: The American University in Cairo Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Volkan, V. D. (1979). Cyprus: War and Adaptation: A Psychoanalytic History of Two Ethnic Groups in Conflict. Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Architectural Engineering, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates

    Reyhan Sabri

Authors
  1. Reyhan Sabri
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Reyhan Sabri .

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2019 The Author(s)

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Sabri, R. (2019). Waqf and the Zenith of Colonial Conservation Politics (1935–1960). In: The Imperial Politics of Architectural Conservation. Heritage Studies in the Muslim World. Palgrave Pivot, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-18232-8_5

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-18232-8_5

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Pivot, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-18231-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-18232-8

  • eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation