Letter: T-S Ar.39.44

Description

Mercantile letter in Arabic script. Refers to Isḥāq Ibn al-Wakīl "and others out of those who were present." The sender along with "the witnesses" reports opening the warehouse of a certain deceased merchant. They conducted an inventory of the contents of the warehouse including a container of coral (qafaṣ marjān) weighing 88 raṭls and silver ingots (sabāʾik fiḍḍa) weighing 690 dirhams. The term qashsha is also mentioned twice. The letter ends in formal style on verso, with taqbīl, greetings to various people, ḥamdala, ṣālwala, and ḥasbala. Reminiscent of some of the India Book documents in terms of content and style but there is no direct evidence linking it to the India trade.