Location: Khurasan

Materials: ink on light-coloured parchment; bulla of grey-coloured clay

Dimensions: 17.9 x 15.1cm

Accession Number: DOC 12 [AR 11]

Other Notes:

Arabic document.

The interpretation of the document is problematic, since it relates to complex transactions that are alluded to but not fully described, but the situation appears to be as follows. The person issuing the document, named Maskan, and the local ruler sold something – possibly land or a building – to Mir ibn Bek. Subsequently, the local ruler requested Maskan to renounce his claim to the sale price from Mir, on the understanding that the ruler would be responsible for the payment of this sum to Maskan. The document includes a warranty clause according to which Maskan remains liable to clear any claims on the property from a third party named Ibrahim.

The document names 11 witnesses.

The bulla has 11 impressions. These consist of  geometric shapes, thumbnail marks and one with ‘Nasr ibn al-Qasim’ – who is named as one of the 11 witnesses to the document. 

Bibliography:

G. Khan, Arabic Documents from Early Islamic Khurasan, Studies in the Khalili Collection, volume V, London 2007, pp.49–52 and no.25, pp.141–3.