A Bilingual Protocol Text Mentioning The Caliph Al-Walīd - Egyptian National Library Inv. No. 67, 90-91 AH / 709-710 CE

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First Composed: 18th December 2005

Last Modified: 19th December 2005

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Assalamu ʿalaykum wa rahamatullahi wa barakatuhu:

(a)

(b)

Figure: (a) Picture of the papyrus and (b) the content of the papyrus.

[] encloses letters supplied to fill a lacuna.

Date

90-91 AH / 709-710 CE.

Size

23.5 cm x 17.5 cm. Yellow-brown, fine papyrus. The text of the protocol is written in blackish-brown ink. Only the right half of the protocol is preserved. The margin remains upon the right side only, the top and left side are broken off, parts of the text are destroyed.

Accession No.

Inv. No. 67.

Contents

The translation of text is given below. The Arabic text is in italics:

  1. [In the n]ame of Go[d, the Compassionate, the Merciful]
  2. [In the name of God, the Compassio]nate, the Merciful.
  3. [There is no god but God alo]ne, Maamet is the Messenger of God.
  4. There is no god but God [alone, and He has no associate]
  5. He begets not, nor is He beg[otten and He has none that is like unto Him]
  6. []
  7. [] to true religion.
  8. Muḥammad is the Messenger of Go[d, He has sent him with guidance and true religion]
  9. The servant of God Al-Walī[d, Commander of the Faithful]
  10. [The servant of God Alulid, Commander of] the Faithful.
  11. [ʿAbdallah bin ʿAbd al-Mal]ik, governer.
  12. This belongs to that which was decreed by the Amir [ʿAbdallāh bin ʿAbd al-Malik]
  13. in the year [eighty nine].

Comments

The χ in the cartouche of the perpendicular writing [lines 10 and 11 of Fig. (b)] of the right side means the seventh indiction, i.e., 708/9 CE.

Location

Egyptian National Library, Cairo.

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References

[1] A. Grohmann, Corpus Papyrorum Raineri Archiducis Austriae III, Series Arabica I, Part 2: Protokolle, 1924, Burguerlag Ferdinand Zöllner: Wein, No. 38, p. 35, Plate II.

[2] A. Grohmann, Arabic Papyri In The Egyptian Library, Volume I, 1934, Egyptian Library Press: Cairo, No. 13, pp. 23-25.

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