Letters and documents, 1106-1497

Language:

Arabic

Call number:

Islamic Manuscripts, Third Series no. 584e Oversize
Electronic Resource

Extent:

41 items : paper ; up to 510 x 164 mm.

Format:

Manuscript
Book

Description:

Ms. documents.
Title supplied by cataloguer.
The text of some items (1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 14, 26, 28, 29) is transcribed by a modern hand on a separate sheet.

Publisher:

[Egypt, between 11-- and 14--]

Subject:

Legal documents—Egypt—Early works to 1800
Islamic magic—Early works to 1800
Amulets (Islam)—Early works to 1800
Manuscripts, Arabic—New Jersey—Princeton

Date:

1100-1499

Abstract:

Collection of 41 documents from Egypt (Fatimid, Ayyubid and Mamluk periods), collected by George Anastase Michaeliʹdes (1900-1973).

Contributor:

Michaeliʹdes, George Anastase, 1900-1973

Collections:

Princeton Digital Library of Islamic Manuscripts

Edm rights:

No Known Copyright

Identifier:

ark:/88435/hm50tr79b

Contents:

1. Item 1 : Legal document issued to the Majlis al-ʻĀlī concerning a female slave, witnessed by a judge Muḥammad Mūsá, dated Rabīʻ al-Awwal 810 H. [1407]. [Described on the paper wrapper as : "Acte de mariage entre Mahmoud ibn abdalla avec madame Galila Fatma la grande fille de son excellence el Gadi Fatima el Togan (gouverneur)" ; [next line] : "A.H. 810"]. Linked to item 37 (?).
2. Item 2 : Legal document written in Cairo, dated 811 H. (?) [1408].
3. Item 3 : Legal document (receipt) concerning receiving payments for crops. [Described on the paper wrapper as : "contrat du prince Saragah Mache (mamelouk) avec les cultivateurs"]. Loss of text on the left side.
4. Item 4 : Legal document (receipt) mentioning ʻAlāʾ al-Dīn ibn Ḥasan, dated 15 Dhū al-Ḥijjah 800 H. [1398]. [Described on the paper wrapper as : "The prince Shahab el Dine Ahmed ibn Zen al dine Received [...] the amount of the mariage from the prince Al el Dine Aly ibn Hassan Fatima el Togun"].
5. Item 5 : Legal document (receipt) concerning payment made by a certain Fāṭimah. [Described on the paper wrapper as : [a] "Fatima Togan" [c] "receipt of money from Fatima by Karal [...] SefelDine Abdalla el Nassiri"].
6. Item 6 : Legal document (receipt) concerning payment to Fāṭimah. [Described on the paper wrapper as : "Procuration officielle de Fatma a Sefi Togan ibn Abdalla el Allani" ; [next line] "Fatima Togan"].
7. Item 7 : Settlement of account concerning Fāṭimah, wife of Ṭūghān. [On the paper wrapper: "Tugan" ; on a separate small piece of paper : " Important" ; [next line] "settling of an account between a mamlouk who is called Saragat [...] and Faṭima the wife of Ṭug̣an"].
8. Item 8 : Receipt of payment in new monies in copper paid to Sayf al-Dīn Ṭūghān by his wife Fāṭimah, dated 29 Ramaḍān 815 [1413]. [Described on the paper wrapper as : "Receipt by the prince Togan ibn Abdalla el Malaki from Fatima fille du gouverneur [...] El Fathi Fath fils de Zadaka el Hadid el [...] Sahai Shahine. prix des objets vendus 3500 dinares" ; [next line] : "Togan et sa femme Fatima"].
9. Item 9 : Legal document concerning the marital status of the daughter of Sayf al-Dīn, dated 15 Dhū al-Ḥijjah 808 H. [1406]. [Described on the paper wrapper as : "Acte de divorce de prince Al Togan avec sa femme" ; on a separate small piece of paper: "An act of giving liberty to a slave dated A.H. 591"; [next line] : "Important"]. Oversize.
10. Item 10 : Religious text mentioning the name of Saʻīd ibn Ḥasan al-Talimsānī. [Described on the paper wrapper as : "Poeme religieux d'un poëte inconnu" ; on a separate small piece of paper : "Poems of an unknown poet" ; [next line, in red] : "religious"].
11. Item 11 : Official letter of the Mamlūk period. [Described on the paper wrapper as: "une lettre de l'epoque des mamelucks caucasiens (?)" ; on a separate small piece of paper : "A letter from the mamlouk Circasian period"].
12. Item 12 : Official letter of complaint, mentioning the names of Ismāʻīl and ʻUmar al-Katalnī. [Described on the paper wrapper as: "Complainte contre un homme de la tribu de Kutawa [...] Fatimite" ; on a separate small piece of paper : " A complaint against a man from the tribe of Kutama (from the Fatimite period)"].
13. Item 13 : Certificate of manumission of a slave, dated 591H. (?) [1194-5]. [Described on a separate small piece of paper as: "letter from a noble man asking from another generousity and finishing his letter with poetry praising the bonifactor (bienfaiteur)" [Linked to item 26 (?)]. Oversize.
14. Item 14 : Receipt of payment in monies minted in copper, owed to ʻAlāʾ al-Dīn, dated 24 Ramaḍān 815 H. [1412]. [Described on the paper wrapper as: "reconnaissance du debiteur al Maalim ibn Aly ibn Omar el Kassida de payer sa dette au prince Al el Dine ibn Mar[--]oum el Farsi Shahine ibn Abdalla el Shahani" ; [next line] : "A.H. 510"].
15. Item 15 : Love letter. [Described on the paper wrapper as: "Poesie" ; on a separate small sheet of paper : "poetry"].
16. Item 16 : Letter, loss of text at top.
17. Item 17 : Official document relating to certain expenses, dated 7 Dhū al-Ḥijjah 902 H. (?) [1497]. [Described in the dealer's description as dated 702 H. [1302]].
18. Item 18 : Amulet containing prayers to God and the Prophet.
19. Item 19 : Letter from a slave to his former master asking him to take him back. [Described on the paper wrapper as: "Un esclave mamelouk demandant à son ancienne maitresse de retourner dans sa première maison" ; on a separate small piece of paper : "A mamlouk (slave) asking his ancient mistress to return him to her house. She has sold him to a man whose house is dirty and hot."].
20. Item 20 : (20a) Letter from a slave to his master regarding administrative matters. (20b) Letter. [Described on the paper wrapper as: "lettre d'un esclave à son maître expliquant sa methode d'administration" ; on a separate small piece of paper: "A letter from a slave who is called Gani Bek to his master explaining to him his method of administration"].
21. Item 21 : Instructions from the Coptic church, dated 25 Baʾūnah (?) of the Coptic year 1392 (?).
22. Item 22 : Two official documents, the first (22a) dated Tripoli, 15 Dhū al-Qaʻdah 884 H. [1480], the second (22b) dated 9 (?) Ramaḍān 907 H. [1502].
23. Item 23 : Letter of complaint from some students at al-Azhar against a landowner. [Described on the paper wrapper as: "Complainte des etudiants d'El Azhar au Waliʹ" ; on a separate small piece of paper: " Some students of al-Azhar writing a complaint to the Wali against a turkish owner who hired them land (?) for cultivation"].
24. Item 24 : One leaf of a manuscript containing Arabic poetry in jīm. [Described on the paper wrapper as: "Poesie" ; on a separate small piece of paper: "poetry"].
25. Item 25 : Love poetry (3 lines), starting with: "amūtu wa-lā tadrī". [Described on the paper wrapper as: "Poeme d'un amoureux" ; on a separate small piece of paper: "poems of a lover"].
26. Item 26 : Letter of praise addressed to a benefactor in the hopes of some financial reward. Oversize.
27. Item 27 : Document confirming a debt by three persons to their master Kashqadām ibn ʻAbd Allāh al-Malikī al-ʻAzīzī, dated 11 Rabīʻ al-Awwal 842 H. [1438]. [Described on a separate small piece of paper as: "Important" ; [next line] "An affirmation of a debt of three debitors to their master Khachkadan dated A.H. 842" ; [next line, in red] "He was elected a king of [...] (?)".
28. Item 28 : Official document mentioning the name of al-Sayyid Naṣīr al-Dīn Muḥammad al-Mawṣūl. [Described on the paper wrapper as : "prières (?) du [...] (?) Arabe min Tabacat at Tazia (secte religieuse de l'epoque mamelouk, in [...] (?) dans l'histoire"].
29. Item 29 : Official document demanding the collection of funds. Oversize.
30. Item 30 : Amulet with magical script and numbers. [Described on the paper wrapper as : "Hegab en Madhrebin" ; on a separate small piece of paper: "a Ḥigab"; [next line] "Talisman in maghribian (?) inscription"]
31. Item 31 : Official letter from ʻUthmān ibn ʻUmar to Jawhar al-Ṣafawī, asking him for money. [Described on a separate small piece of paper: "Important"; [next line] "A letter from a mamluk (slave) named ʻUthmān ibn ʻUmar asking his master Gohar Al Safawī to send him a sum of money"; [next line] "The word Urgent is written around the inscription in thick characters."].
32. Item 32 : Document, verso with medical prescription in a different hand.
33. Item 33 : Document, verso with Coptic text.
34. Item 34 : Document.
35. Item 35 : Document, verso with a text in a different hand.
36. Item 36 : Official document mentioning the name of Aḥmad ibn ʻAbd Allāh, dated 500 H. (?) [1106].
37. Item 37 : Official document issued to the Majlis al-ʻĀlī, dated 512 H. [1118]. Linked to item 1 (?).
38. Item 38 : Scroll, probably a textual amulet, in magical script.
39. Item 39 : Cotton bag for amulet, with inscriptions in Arabic.
40. Item 40 : Scroll, textual amulet with figures. Oversize.
41. Item 41 : Amulet with figures in two booklets. Oversize

Spatial:

New Jersey
Egypt

Electronic locations:

Digital content

Source acquisition:

Purchase ; Christopher Edwards Antiquarian Books & Manuscripts; 2005. Items 18, 30, 38-41 : Gift of the Gardner Magic Project in memory of David A. Gardner, Princeton Class of 1969.

Location:

HSVM Islamic Manuscripts, Third Series no. 584e Oversize
HSVM Electronic Resource
ELF1 Islamic Manuscripts, Third Series no. 584e Oversize
ELF1 Electronic Resource

View in catalog:

https://catalog.princeton.edu/catalog/9945255593506421