Definitions for imaretɪˈmɑr ɛt
This page provides all possible meanings and translations of the word imaret
a hostel for pilgrims in Turkey
An Ottoman soup kitchen built between the fourteenth and nineteenth centuries, often part of a larger complex or waqf.
a lodging house for Mohammedan pilgrims
Origin: [Turk., fr. Ar. 'imra.]
An imaret is one of a few names used to identify the public soup kitchens built throughout the Ottoman Empire from the 14th to the 19th centuries. These public kitchens were often part of a larger complex known as a Waqf, which could include hospices, mosques, caravanserais and colleges. The imarets gave out food that was free of charge to specific types of people and fortunate individuals. Imarets were not invented by the Ottomans but developed under them as highly structured groups of buildings. Nonetheless, imarets indicate an appreciation of Muslim religious teachings about charity found in the Qur'an.
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