A New Interpretation of the Economic History of Medieval Egypt A.H., 868-1171 AD

The present text is an investigation on Egypt's economy during the Tulunid and Fatimid periods with an emphasis on the role of the textile industry. Using Arabic papyrus documents plus original historical Egyptian sources of Islamic era, the writer wants to prove the hypothesis that Epypt's economic growth and prosperity in the Middle Ages, particularly in the Tulunid period, had been rooted in the growth and expancion of its textile industry. Claude Kahn, the famous French orientalist, has called the present article a facinating example of the use of papyrus documents in a historical research.Sources of investment in the textile industry, the investors, the role of government officials and semi-official individuals, the distribution and exchange system, job creation and relations amomg people involved in this industry are among issues dealt with in this article.