Diwan al-nafaqat

Definition of "Diwan al-nafaqat"

An office established by the early ‘Abbasids (AD 750– 945) to manage expenditure on the administration of the royal court. It dealt with the salaries of the court officials, provisions, construction and repair of royal buildings and care of stables. As many of the expenses in this department went to the retinue of the khalifah, it was also called diwan al-’ahsham. It was divided into majalis al-jari, the place where the pay of the notables (’ahsham) was disbursed, the majalis al-’inzal, from where the household of the khalifah was financed and where accounts were settled with the merchants, who paid in the taxes (wazifah), and where the natural products grown upon the government estate were delivered and controlled. It also had majalis al-hawadith responsible for extraordinary expenses to meet emergencies and natural calamities.