Un registre carcéral de la Fusṭāṭ abbasside

Abstract

RésuméThis article presents the edition of three fragments of a prison register from Fusṭāṭ, preserved in the Michaelides Collection of the Cambridge University Library. They record the arrival of petitions from prisoners, mainly imprisoned for debt, and mention their release. These excerpts provide crucial information on the organization of prisons during the early Abbasid period. They testify to the high frequency of imprisonment for debt, and confirm that the prison system revolved around the qadi’s judgeship and the police (shurṭa), which included an administrative service where the petitions of the detainees were examined. These documents allow therefore a better understanding of the process of incarceration and release of debtors.