Local Judicial Authorities in Umayyad Egypt (41-132/661-750)
Abstract: The first two centuries of Muslim rule over Egypt form a key period for what were to become Islamic courts under the Abbasids. This era witnessed the gradual development of a specialised judiciary that became increasingly independent of Umayyad administrators and local elites. Recent studi...
Guardado en:
| Publicado en: | URI:https://journals.openedition.org/beo, |
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| Autor principal: | |
| Formato: | Article ou chapitre numérique |
| Lenguaje: | Anglais |
| Publicado: |
Bulletin d’études orientales
2016
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| Materias: | |
| Acceso en línea: | Accès Université d'Orléans et IFPM Accès Université d'Orléans et IFPM |
| Sumario: | Abstract: The first two centuries of Muslim rule over Egypt form a key period for what were to become Islamic courts under the Abbasids. This era witnessed the gradual development of a specialised judiciary that became increasingly independent of Umayyad administrators and local elites. Recent studies have dealt with such local forms of jurisdiction and the emergence of Islamic courts as institutions. The following article builds on this past work, but continues in a different direction as it aims to clarify methods of conflict resolution. These included covert processes that went beyond official rules and institutions. Arabic and Greek papyri abound in documents that were produced on behalf of, or were addressed to, heads of districts in their function as administrators of justice. The narrative parts of these documents reveal a handling of grievances that was heavily reliant on elaborate modes of communication. The documents similarly show a high degree of acceptance among the population — both literate officials and illiterate subjects — of the role of written documents in the settlement of legal conflict. |
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