Syria endowments: Ottoman documents to survey thousands of Damascus, Aleppo properties

Syria endowments seeks Ottoman documents to survey thousands of properties in Damascus and Aleppo

Syria’s Ministry of Endowments said it is communicating with Turkey’s Religious Affairs Presidency “Diyanet” to obtain Ottoman archive documents related to endowments in Syria, aiming to survey endowment properties, establish their ownership, and reassess their rents according to current market rates.

A ministry source told RT that Ottoman land records would help accurately determine the distribution of Syrian endowments, noting that thousands of endowment properties in Damascus and Aleppo have remained outside the scope of accurate inventory for decades.

Deputy Minister of Endowments for Endowment Affairs Samer Berqdar said that Ottoman endowments do not belong to Turkey, but rather form part of the endowments of the state where they were established, adding: “Syrian endowments have been neglected for years, are unorganized, and have no clear inventory schedule. Most are either lost or stolen.”

Berqdar added that returning to Ottoman documents is one way to revive and gather endowments in Syria, and to spend their revenues on Syrian endowment purposes for the benefit of the people.

The source explained that the Ministry of Endowments faces two options in dealing with occupants of endowment properties: either signing new lease contracts with them in line with current market rates, or evicting the property for other tenants, affirming that if a property is proven to be an endowment, it nullifies any legal considerations including personal ownership documents.

The Ministry of Endowments’ decision sparked widespread controversy among property and shop owners in Damascus and Aleppo, with many expressing concern about losing properties they inherited from their fathers and grandfathers, considering that becoming tenants in their own shops would be “clear injustice.” Intellectual and artistic figures also objected to the approach, describing it as a “one-sided reading of history.”

April 13:

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