Ahtiname scroll

Ahtiname (latinised version of AHAD_NAMA) comes from the Arabic words ahd, which means “obligation,” and name, which means “document, testament.” The document has been instrumental in the protection of St Catherine’s Monastery at the base of Mount Sinai, and as a means of ensuring peaceful and cooperative relations between Christians and Muslims. The continuous existence of the monastery during fourteen centuries of Islamic rule is a sign of the respect given to this Letter of Protection, and the principles of peace and cooperation that it enshrines. This is a downloadable resource.