The many masters of Ottoman hospitals: Between the Imperial palace, the Harem, bureaucracy, and the Muslim law courts

This article analyzes the management of imperial Ottoman hospitals in the urban centres during the early modern period. Presumably, as charitable institutions, the Islamic legal system provides a comprehensive system of legal and financial management that covers early modern imperial hospitals. In reality, however, the management of Ottoman hospitals was more complex, involving multiple stakeholders. In addition to the religious administrative functions, numerous state organs took over responsibilities associated with the management of early modern imperial hospitals. Offices and officials within the imperial palace and harem, the central bureaucracy, the provincial administration, and the religious institutions were all involved in these hospitals' management. This article examines the logic behind this seemingly chaotic process.