Middle Arabic Traits in Legal Deeds Concerning the Custody of the Holy Land in 17th-Century Jerusalem Sharia Court Records

This case study is centred on the 17th-century Jerusalem Sharia Court Records (henceforth JSCRs) and scrutinises the linguistic intricacies within the legal documents associated with the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land during the Ottoman era. The study notably highlights the dearth of dedicated research on Middle Arabic (henceforth MA) within the Ottoman period, with the seminal work of Lentin (1997) standing as a noteworthy exception. Furthermore, it underscores the limited scholarly attention, with the recent contributions by Wagner (2021) and Zack (2022) representing a promising addition to the scholarly discourse. The central focus lies in elucidating the manifestation of MA features within legal texts, notably exemplified in documents like JSCRs. Moreover, the study undertakes an investigation into the redaction process of the ḥuğğa deeds, accentuating the significance of their intricate revision in discerning the extent of textual corrections within these documents. The research examines 100 ḥuğğa deeds, employing the scholarly framework posited by Den Heijer (2012). Utilising Lentin’s methodology (1997), the present study draws upon diverse linguistic traits across various domains, analysing and classifying them. The investigation aims to establish a comprehensive understanding of the MA features intricately woven into these texts. By shedding light on the linguistic and cultural nuances embedded within the JSCRs, this research contributes to a deeper understanding of the Ottoman-era sociolinguistic context. The findings have broader implications for the study of linguistic volution and the socio-historical dynamics prevalent in the Ottoman Bilād al-Šām.

This article has been funded by the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation programme (Grant Agreement 101001857) as part of the project ‘HOLYLAB – A global economic organization in the early modern period: The Custody of the Holy Land through its account books (1600–1800)’.