Konkin D. The Ownership of Waqf Land in the Crimea from the Late Eighteenth to the Early Twentieth Century.

This thesis presents consequent reconstruction of the history of ownership of waqf land in the Crimea from the late eighteenth to the early twentieth century according to numerous primary sources and secondary literature, with use of general and special historical research methods. The problems of Crimean land management appearing after the Russian empire's annexation of the Crimea have been discussed, and these problems' influence on the system of ownership of waqf lands has been uncovered. The Russian imperial administration's actions towards the settlement of the problems concerning land in the Crimea undertaken by land management commissions in the early nineteenth century have been analysed. The formation of the legislation on waqf lands in the Crimea determining the status and the administrative procedures for these properties has been studied. Mikhail Vorontsov's role for the preparation of this legislation has been evaluated. The reasons and consequences of the aggravation of the waqf problem in the Crimea in the second half of the nineteenth century have been determined. The work of the "Special Commission on Waqf" in the Crimea, established in 1885, has been researched in details, and the main trends of its work as long as 1917 have been examined. The conclusion presents general outcomes of the entire research.