muqāṭaʿah

land tenure

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July 1, 2026

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The term muqāḍaʿ refers to a system of land tenure within the Islamic empire, specifically in Egypt during the Ayyūbid period. It was a form of land lease where certain districts or peoples paid a fixed tax directly to the state treasury, bypassing intermediaries. This system, primarily applied to agricultural land, was granted for a limited time in exchange for a contracted sum of money. The power of the muqāḍaʿ was carefully controlled by the state to prevent any single individual from accumulating too much power or land. This differed from the iqṭāʿ system, where land was granted to army officials in lieu of wages, and the recipient collected taxes, often with less interest in the land's long-term maintenance.1

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iqṭāʿ
…Egypt, the iqṭāʿ approximated the muqāṭaʿah system, common in the caliphal domains, under which certain districts or peoples, such as Bedouins, Kurds, or Turkmen, paid a fixed tax directly to the state treasury, bypassing any intermediary tax collector. Thus, the Egyptian iqṭāʿ, primarily agricultural land, was leased for a limited…
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…Egypt, the iqṭāʿ approximated the muqāṭaʿah system, common in the caliphal domains, under which certain districts or peoples, such as Bedouins, Kurds, or Turkmen, paid a fixed tax directly to the state treasury, bypassing any intermediary tax collector. Thus, the Egyptian iqṭāʿ, primarily agricultural land, was leased for a limited…
Read More