Ministry of Sharia and the Foundations (Turkish: Şerriye ve Evkaf Vekaleti) was a former government ministry in the Ottoman Empire and the early history of the Republic of Turkey.
The ministry was the highest religious authority and was responsible for the waqfs (inalienable charitable endowments under Islamic law).
During the early days of the Turkish Republic, it was also a ministry of Turkey.
[2] Instead, two general directorates were established under the Prime Minister of Turkey: the "Directorate of Religious Affairs" (Turkish: Diyanet İşleri Başkanlığı) and the "General Directorate of the Foundations" (Turkish: Vakıflar Genel Müdürlüğü) to take on the responsibilities of the former ministry.
On 6 March 1924, Prime Minister İsmet Pasha formed the 2nd government of Turkey, this time without the Ministry of Sharia and the Foundations.