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Geoffrey Khan
Most of the Arabic documents that have survived from the first
three centuries of the Islamic era were written on papyrus, the
most commonly used writing material in the Near East during this
period.
The Arabic papyri in the Khalili Collection date mostly from the
8th and the 9th centuries, and include official and legal documents,
receipts, accounts and private letters. Most come from Fustat, and
a few originate from Upper Egypt, but pride of place goes to the
only extant Arabic papyrus from northern Mesopotamia, an account
of expenditure drawn up in a Nestorian monastery under Abbasid rule
circa AD 855.
The papyri are an invaluable source of information on scripts, grammar
and literary styles, as well as on social and economic life in the
early Islamic period. Of the 258 in this catalogue, 108 are illustrated
in colour, while the rest, which are of a more fragmentary nature,
are reproduced in black and white. The history of the use of papyrus
and the methods of its manufacture are discussed in the introduction.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dr Geoffrey Khan is Lecturer in Hebrew and Aramaic at the Faculty
of Oriental Studies, Cambridge University.
DETAILS
292 pages; 108 colour plates, 150 halftones; line drawings
35.5 x 25.5 cm
hardback with dust jacket (slipcased)
1993
1-874780-56-0
£89 $180
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