Endowments in Iran: 20 Imamzadeh Shrines and 450 Religious Endowments in Every County
Each Iranian county has, on average, 20 Imamzadeh shrines and pilgrimage sites, 450 religious endowments, and around 3,000 religious endowment units engaged in economic, social, and religious activities, Iran Open Data research shows.
The Organization of Endowments and Charity Affairs in Iran is one of the largest religious-economic institutions in the country. Administratively, it operates under the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, but it is directly managed by the Office of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic. This organization, which does not publish any reports on its financial resources and expenditures, has consistently been accused of financial corruption, illegal land appropriation, and misappropriation of other public resources.
Data published in the 2021 Statistical Yearbook of the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance indicate that more than 209,000 religious endowments and 1,393,000 endowment units are managed by the Organization of Endowments and Charity Affairs. There are 470 counties, according to the 2021 Statistical Year Book, in Iran. That means there are 445 religious endowments and 2,964 endowment units in each county.
A “waqf” (religious endowment) refers to a legal entity that has been endowed for a specific purpose. Each waqf can consist of multiple "rqbah”, or endowment units. Each unit can be independently used in an economic activity.
Comparing these numbers to the same numbers a decade ago, the number of waqfs has increased by approximately 25%, and the number of endowment units has increased by about 30%.
According to the Ministry of Industry, Mining, and Trade, approximately 2,334,000 business units were operational throughout in 2021. That means, for every 1.7 businesses, one endowment is engaged in economic activity, a relatively large ratio.
Provincial distribution of endowments and units is not uniform. The Organization of Endowments and Charity Affairs data indicate that Khorasan Razavi, Isfahan, and Fars provinces have the highest number of endowments, while Mazandaran, Khorasan Razavi, and Fars provinces have the highest number of units.
Ilam, Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad, Alborz, and Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari provinces have the lowest number of endowments and units.
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Endowments and units are not the only entities administered by the Organization of Endowments and Charity Affairs. Imamzadeh shrines and pilgrimage sites are also part of this organization. According to the Comprehensive Imamzadeh Data Bank information, there are more than 8,000 Imamzadeh shrines in Iran. In other words, there are, on average, 19 Imamzadeh shrines and pilgrimage sites in every county.
Access to the Comprehensive Imamzadeh Data Bank is currently restricted, but data collected by the Fact-nameh website in 2018 provides a relatively clear picture of their geographical distribution.
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Based on this data, Fars, Mazandaran, and Gilan provinces have the highest numbers of Imamzadeh shrines with 1,537, 1,306, and 708 shrines, respectively. Together, they contain around 40% of the country's Imamzadeh shrines and pilgrimage sites.
Sistan and Baluchestan, Kurdistan, Hormozgan, and Kermanshah provinces have the lowest numbers of Imamzadeh shrines, with 20, 39, and 47 shrines, respectively.