Letter: T-S Ar.39.425

Description

Letter in Ottoman Turkish addressed to Salmūn [al-Iskandarānī] from Pervīz Ağa. Dated in the verso seal: 1030 AH (1620/21 CE). In the introduction to her edition, Jane Hathaway notes that this is: "a straightforward letter of introduction from one Pervīz Agha, whose seal, on the document’s verso, appears to bear the date 1030, implying that the letter was composed in or shortly after 1621 CE. Pervīz asks Salmūn to look out for the interests of the bearer, the divisional commander (ser bölük, or bölükbaşı) Manṣūr, who is on his way to ‘the noble Kaʿba’, probably meaning that he is undertaking the ʿumra, the pilgrimage that can be performed at any time of year.... Pervīz himself is clearly a high regimental officer, and if he is sending someone to Alexandria en route to Mecca, he himself must be located north or west of Al- exandria, possibly even in the imperial capital. The tone of his appeal to Salmūn makes it clear that for anyone passing through Alexandria, the customs director was an invaluable contact. Perhaps the most noteworthy feature of this letter is its emphasis on hometown ties: Pervīz insists that Salmūn must help Manṣūr because they both come from Alexandria. Manṣūr is not a common name among military personnel from the Ottoman central lands, and if this Manṣūr is a native Arabic-speaker from Alexandria, then he represents an exceedingly rare instance of an Arab joining the Ottoman military and rising to mid-level officer rank." (Hathaway, Ottoman-Era Documents from the Cairo Genizah, 128-129)