Shaping a Muslim State - The World of a Mid-Eighth-Century Egyptian Official

This volume provides a synthetic study of the political, social, and economic processes which formed early Islamic Egypt. Looking at a corpus of previously unknown Arabic papyrus letters, Sijpesteijn examines the reasons for the success of the early Arab conquests and the transition from the pre-Islamic Byzantine system to an Arab/Muslim state.

List of contents

• Acknowledgements


• Note on Editions, Dates, and References


• List of Maps


• List of Plates


• Introduction


• Part I: Discussion


• 1: The Egyptian context: Geography and History


• 2: Arab Egypt: The first fifty years


• 3: The Second Fifty Years: Consolidation and Reform


• 4: Beyond Words


• 5: Conclusion


• PART II: The Texts


• Note on the Orthography and Grammar of the Papyri


• Letters to 'Abd Allah b. As'ad from Najid b. Muslim


• Other Letters to 'Abd Allah b. As'ad


• Letter from 'Abd Allah b. As'ad


• Letters from/Related to Najid b. Muslim


• Bibliography


• Index

About the author

Petra Sijpesteijn is Professor of Arabic Language and Culture at Leiden University. Her research focuses on the transition from Late Antiquity to early Islam in Egypt.

Summary

This volume provides a synthetic study of the political, social, and economic processes which formed early Islamic Egypt. Looking at a corpus of previously unknown Arabic papyrus letters, Sijpesteijn examines the reasons for the success of the early Arab conquests and the transition from the pre-Islamic Byzantine system to an Arab/Muslim state.

Additional text

... one of the most useful studies on the history of Arab/Islamic Egypt to appear in many years. ...The scholarship on display is admirable: the book is clearly written, closely and sensibly argued, and thoroughly documented... One is accustomered to being told that this or that book is essential reading. the phrase has become hackneyed, which is a shame: one needs it still precisely for this sort of work. there is very much to learn here and, indeed, a single reading of Shaping a Muslim State hardly suffices.

Product details

• Authors: Petra M. Sijpesteijn, Petra M. (Professor of Arabic Languag Sijpesteijn, Sijpesteijn Petra M.
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 26.09.2013
• EAN: 9780199673902
• ISBN: 978-0-19-967390-2
• No. of pages: 592
• Series: Oxford Studies in Byzantium; Oxford Studies in Byzantium
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Religion/theology > Other religions; Social sciences, law, business > Political science > Political science and political education; Islam, HISTORY / Ancient / Egypt, RELIGION / Islam / General, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Islamic Studies, HISTORY / Byzantine Empire, Islamic Studies, c 1000 CE to c 1500, Ancient History, Classical history / classical civilisation, Ancient history: to c 500 CE, Ancient Egypt, Byzantine Empire, Relating to Islamic / Muslim people and groups, Social groups: religious groups and communities, HISTORY / Islamic