رسالة: ENA NS 71.23

الوصف

Letter, probably a correspondence between two officials, in Arabic script, with the "inhāʾ" formula and tarjama. The sender reports (yunhī) on a man who owes him "anna hādhā l-rajul lahu ʿalayya" and seeks the addressee's help in settling his accounts. The addressee, whose name in the tarjama reads as "al-awḥad al-amīr Raḍī l-Dīn", is a military official (walī al-shadd) whom the sender promises to convey news of his area "anā ūkātibuka bi l-khabr". The accounts that the sender is asking the addressee's help in settling could be taxes as the "al-shadd" was a military officer, classified by al-Qalqashandī as belonging to the 'arbāb al-suyūf' 'masters of the sword'. These officers assissted local staff to carry out their duties, especially in the collection of taxes (See Khan, ALAD, pg. 447, no. 117). Needs further examination. YU