As in many parts of the Islamic world, women's ownership and participation in waqf property throughout Iranian history has involved not only an expression of religious piety, but the bolstering of social status and prestige through the possession and administration of family and, most importantly, public endowments. Whether considering medieval or modern periods, the waqf has served as an economic and social means for Iranian women to participate in pious institutions for the provision of a selected social service in perpetuity that are otherwise l…