In premodern Central Asia women's education took diverse forms and was not confined to formal religious training. Despite the presence of well-educated, learned, and cultivated women in the historical sources, specific references to women's education are scant and scattered. Much has to be inferred. Only a small minority of the population studied in madrasas or other formal institutions. This was especially true for women. While women were frequently involved in the charitable activities related to such institutions and had established waqfs for madrasas, there is hardly any …