The Qurra Papyrus - A Reclamation Respecting A Fugitive & The Fine - Egyptian National Library Inv. No. 340, 90 AH / 709 CE

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First Composed: 5th September 2000

Last Modified: 24th 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

Rabīʿ I (or II), 90 AH / January-February (February-March), 709 CE.

Size

35.5 cm. x 16.6 cm.

It is a light brown, fine papyrus. The letter is written in black ink parallel on recto, verso is blank; diacritical points are but sparingly added, which in line 2 are in the form of small slanting lines, are but sparsely added.

Accession No.

Inv. No. 340.

Contents

The translation of the document is:

  1. One third (?) []
  2. of the part of your messenger []
  3. thou writest unto me that thou hast already [sent]
  4. the peasant ....[] to me
  5. who had flown, as also the fou[r]
  6. dīnārs and a third [of a dīnār] with which
  7. thou hast fined him. But I have not []
  8. for he has not yet presented himself to [me]
  9. nor has he rendered (the sum) with which thou hast fined him. And [peace]
  10. to upon him who follows the [guidance],
  11. and Mu[ḥammad b.]
  12. ʿUqba has written (it) in the month of Rabīʿ []
  13. of the year ninety.

Location

Egyptian National Library, Cairo, Egypt.

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References

[1] A. Grohmann, Arabic Papyri In The Egyptian Library, Volume III (Administrative Texts), 1938, Egyptian Library Press: Cairo, No. 152, pp. 25-27.

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