מסמך שלטוני: JRL Gaster ar. 186

תיאור

Letter in Ottoman Turkish to the sultan that references at least three imperial officials and the transfer a thousand qantars of gunpowder "bārūt" (l. 5) from Rashid to Alexandria. Given the presence of Ottoman garrisons in each port, this detail helps date the document as post-1517 CE. In the opening lines beneath the phrase "Sulṭānım / my Sultan" there is reference to the Sultan's order/decree "buyuruldu" (l. 4r) in connection with the appointment of the Dīvān Kâtibī Meḥmed Efendi. The appointee's reputation is confirmed as that of "a good man / iyi bir adām" (l. 4r). In the lower left corner, the letter sender has signed and while much of his signature remains unclear, he held the title "اغا". The other imperial officials who are mentioned appear in the right margin: Ibrahīm Çelebi (l. 5r) and in the upper margin: Defterdâr Ḥālazâde Kenān Efendi (l. 1-2r). MCD with information provided kindly by Dr. Ozgen Felek.