Scholarship on Letter: Unknown (excavation images 1966A_P06_27A-28 and 1966A_P06_28A-29)

Recto

1. In the name of God, the Merciful and Compassionate.
2. (This is) my letter to my brother Ḵalīl and my brother ʿUthmān
3. and ʿUmar, may God prolong their life, and cause their good health
4. and wellbeing to endure. What I wish to inform you of is that I have arrived
5. in Aswan and both I and the horse are exhausted.
6. You know that I departed from you
7. without (additional) clothes, and I left my clothes
8. with you. You know that I received
9. a letter from my family. By God,
10. please could one of you come downriver quickly
11. to me. Do not (hesitate to) consider how one would come downriver.
12. We do not have anything to pay you.
13. I know that you do not have anything and if
14. you had anything, you would not regard it as being too generous
15. to give it to me. By God, the minute you read
16. this note, one of you please come to me
17. quickly, taking my clothes
18. with you—the sleeved garment, the shirt
19. the helmet and bedding. If they have sold them,
20. that is fine. If they still remain,
21. then bring them with you as well as the two water-skins

Verso

1. and the beads for the children. As for the twisted
2. leather thong for the women, in which
3. there is scent, this is in the bag together with
4. the beads. Bring it (the thong) with you. As for slaves,
5. there is nothing in Aswan, or only a few. By God,
6. bring your slave girl with you.
7. Come only in a boat. Do not bring a horse.
8. When you come downriver, take my horse
9. and go back upriver. By God, one of you please come
10. quickly, quickly, even if you have a thousand
11. things to do. By God, oh my brother Khalīl,
12. (who are) a decent man, there is no harm from the gifts that
13. he has paid to him. Do not let him go anywhere.
14. Oh my brother Khalīl, where is our father and where
15. are our companions? Only I and you remain.
16. By God, do not listen to what anybody says and do not go
17. from place to place in the citadel (listening to gossip), for
18. there is no good in it. Greetings to you.
19. By God, you are three! Behave like
20. men with each other. Greetings.
21. That is more worthy of you.

Verso - address

1. To the brothers Khalīl, ʿUmar
2. and ʿUthmān, may God give them good health.
3. From their brother
4. Jāmiʿ