Set of Arabic manuscript leaves, probably Egypt, 9th - 10th century 15 fragments of handwritten letters on papyrus in cursive Arabic with black ink. From 6.5 x 3 cm to 39 x 19 cm As is. 31 fragments of manuscripts on paper. Papyrus, the Egyptian writing medium par excellence, remained in use in Egypt after the Arab conquest in the mid-7th century. It was gradually replaced by paper in the 10th century, as this new material was introduced into the Islamic world, dethroning parchment as well. The Arabic papyri that have come down to us consist mainly of everyday documents such as commercial deeds, administrative documents and private letters. A few dated documents make it possible to date their production before the 10th century. These include two documents from the Musée du Louvre in Paris, a commercial document concerning an obligation to deliver wood dated 251 H / 865-66 (E 7147 C) and an inheritance document certifying the division of half a feddan into three equal parts dated 255 H / 868-69 (E 6885). Their stylistic kinship with our fragments, with their highly cursive and abbreviated calligraphy, suggests that they were made in Egypt in the 9th-10th centuries, and are evidence of daily life at that time. Bibliography : RAGIB, Yûsuf, "Trois documents datés du Louvre", Annales Islamologiques, Tome XV, 1979, pp. 1-11, pl. I and II.