Le sultan de papier. Reconstruction d'une lettre mamelouke pour le Sahel

The letter sent in 1440 by Mamelouk Sultan al-Zāhir Sayf ad-Dīn Jaqmaq (1438-1453) to a Sahel sovereign, assuring the latter of his protection upon his journey to Mecca is a historical document of foremost importance for understanding the political implications of this pilgrimage for the sovereigns of the Sahel region, as well as offering insights into the logistical challenge of crossing the Sahara. This text also provides the occasion for a methodological experiment. It is now possible, thanks to Chancery records and the digital humanities, to reproduce a copy of the letter that is faithful to the writing style of Mamelouk scribes. This contemporary fabrication of a Mamelouk pseudo letter thus aims to reconstitute an aspect of the materiality of diplomatic exchanges between the north and the south of the Sahara and to shed light on the essential role of scribes in the diplomacy between Islamic States from medieval to modern times.