Letter written in Greek on papyrus
Nizzana, year 684
Courtesy of the Pierpont Morgan Library,
New York, Colt 50

"In the name of Almighty God! Abu Rashid, Governor, to George of Nizzana. Thanks be to God, etc., etc. When Abu 'l-Mughira, freed slave of 'Urwa ibn Abu Sufyan, comes to you, be kind enough to furnish him a man from Nizzana bound to guide him on the trip to the Holy Mount. Also furnish the man's pay. Written in the month of March, twelfth indiction, by the hand of Theodore."

This letter is one of the many documents discovered at Nizzana. It was apparently written by the provincial governor, Abu Rashid, to George, governor of Nizzana, who is also mentioned in other documents from the city. The letter was written on papyrus, apparently in the year 684, the beginning of the Islamic period. Nizzana was the last stop on the route to St. Catherine's Monastery from the north, from which pilgrims set out for their journey to Sinai. This letter, like the other documents from Nizzana, attests to the tolerant attitude of the Arab rulers toward the members of other faiths, which enabled the continuation of Christian religious activity, albeit on a smaller scale than in Byzantine times.

Between the words of address at the top and the body of the letter, a clay seal bearing the figure of an animal is found. It apparently served to confirm the governor’s authority. Its location on the inside of the document is unusual.

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