The Treatises Named after the Prophet Muhammad ("Great Manshur and "Little Manshur") in Medieval Armenian Bibliography

Gayane Mkrtumyan

doi:10.30560/hssr.v4n4p35

Abstract

The present article discusses the treaties known in the Armenian medieval bibliography by the name of the Prophet Mohammad ("Great" Manshur and "Little Manshur”). It is pointed out that the above-mentioned treaties were given to the Armenians during the Arab invasions in Armenia at the end of the 7th century and at the beginning of the 8th century, but they are considered in the context of the tradition of different treaties named after the Prophet Muhammad given to the Armenians and other Christian nations. In the following centuries, the terms of the above-mentioned treaties were laid down as a basis in similar covenants in the name of the Prophet Muhammad, with the new privilege - expecting the Muslim authorities to protect their rights from possible encroachments.

Highlights

In the Armenian medieval historical tradition the treatises named after the Prophet Muhammad, the founder of Islam, are known as Ali Manshur, which were aimed at preserving and establishing ethnic and ecclesiastical rights of the people under the Islamic rule
Referring to the "Great" Manshur mentioned in Armenian bibliography named after Muhammad, it should be stated that the Armenian-Arab cooperation had started even earlier, when Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem Abraham after witnessing the success of Islam during the reign of the Prophet Muhammad, entered Madinah accompanied with the delegation of Christians, wishing to get a special agreement aimed at ensuring the security of the Armenian community of Jerusalem, according to which a number of sanctuaries of the city came under the jurisdiction of the Armenian community
We believe that this document was compiled in the name the Prophet Muhammad to establish the rights of the Armenian people from Bey Karakhan, which could have had an impact on other prominent Muslim people and officials, facilitating the ratification of this document by the Muslim rulers of later centuries

Summary

Introduction

In the Armenian medieval historical tradition the treatises named after the Prophet Muhammad, the founder of Islam, are known as Ali Manshur (treaty), which were aimed at preserving and establishing ethnic and ecclesiastical rights of the people under the Islamic rule. Referring to the "Great" Manshur mentioned in Armenian bibliography named after Muhammad, it should be stated that the Armenian-Arab cooperation had started even earlier, when Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem Abraham (died in 669) after witnessing the success of Islam during the reign of the Prophet Muhammad, entered Madinah accompanied with the delegation of Christians, wishing to get a special agreement aimed at ensuring the security of the Armenian community of Jerusalem, according to which a number of sanctuaries of the city came under the jurisdiction of the Armenian community This is mentioned by Tigran Savalanyan, a scholar of Jerusalem history, who had obtained this information from treatise of the Arab historian Zeki ed Din "The Victory of Jerusalem The historical-comparative method of research has been used while making a comparison between the terms of treatises given by the Prophet Muhammad to the Christians of Najran, the Armenian community of Jerusalem and the content of the "Great" and "Little" Manshurs", mentioned in Armenian manuscripts

Great Manshur

Conclusions