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TheBaqṭ (Arabic:بقط,romanized: baqṭ) was atreaty between theChristian state ofMakuria and thenew Muslim rulers of Egypt in the7th century. Lasting almost seven hundred years, it is by some measures the longest-lasting treaty in history. The name comes either from aCoptic language term forbarter or aGreco-Roman term for pact.
Despite its longevity, little is known about the Baqt, and almost all information about it comes from Muslim sources.
The Baqt was signed after the 652 Arab conquest of Egypt. That year, theHejazi generalAbd Allah ibn Sa'd led an army south against the Christian kingdoms ofNubia: Makuria,Nobatia, andAlodia. Later Islamic historians state that Nubia was not worth conquering, and the expedition was to subordinate the region to Egypt. Earlier sources suggest that the Arab armies suffered a rare defeat at thesecond battle of Dongola and only acceded to the Baqt when they realized that conquering the region would be difficult. The treaty was negotiated between ibn Sa'd and the Makurian kingQalidurut.
There is no extant copy of the treaty they signed, and the earliest copies date to several centuries after and vary significantly. The treaty might not have been written at all, but may have been an oral agreement instead. Some sections of the Baqt are clear:
Ibn Abd al-Hakam, one of the first historians to discuss the treaty, gives two different versions of the treaty. The first has only Nubia sending slaves north, thus symbolizing its subservience to Egypt. The second version adds an obligation on the part of the Egyptians to also send goods south, including wheat and lentils, in exchange for the slaves; this would put the two nations on a more equal footing. The second version is more reliable, as it conforms with the Nubian version of the treaty and also aligns with the results of the first and second Battles of Dongola.
This treaty was unprecedented in the history of theearly Muslim conquests, being more similar to the arrangements theByzantine Empire sometimes made with its neighbours. It is also unmatched in that it largely blocked the spread of Islam and the Arabs for half a millennium. Spaulding reports that the exchange of goods was a typical diplomatic arrangement inNortheast Africa, and the Nubians would have had long experience with such agreements.
The Baqt caused some controversy amongIslamic theologians; there was disagreement over whether it violated the duty to expand thedar al-Islam.
The Baqt was not always without controversy, and conflicts between the neighbours were not unheard of.
In the 830s, Egypt plunged into turmoil during theFourth Fitna, and KingZacharias III of Makuria halted payment of the Baqt. When theAbbasid Caliphate gained firm control of Egypt, they demanded resumption of the Baqt and payment of arrears. Unable or unwilling to pay this large sum, Zacharias sent his son and heirGeorgios on a long journey toBaghdad in 835 to negotiate directly with the Caliph. This expedition was a great success; the arrears were cancelled, and the Baqt was altered so that it only had to be paid every three years.
The closest relations were during theFatimid Caliphate. TheIsmaili Fatimids had few allies in the predominantlySunni world, and Nubia was an important ally. The slaves sent from Nubia made up the backbone of the Fatimid army.
Relations were worse under theAyyubid dynasty and very poor under theMamluk Sultanate, with full-scale war eventually breaking out. Even after Makuria collapsed in the thirteenth century, the Egyptians continued to insist upon its payment by the Muslim successor kingdoms in the region. The Baqt finally came to an end in the mid-fourteenth century with the complete collapse of organized government in the region.