| Date | year of the Hare, 16th day of the first winter month — 1267 or 1279 (3 Nov. 1267 or 21 Nov. 1279) |
|---|---|
| Ilkhan | Abaqa (Abaγa) |
| Addressee | Samaghar (Samaγar) and the darughachis, the noyans of the towns along the route, the overseers of the post stations (yams), guards, boatmen |
| Type | decree (safe-conduct, sauf-conduit) |
| Script and language | Uyghur script, Mongolian; red seal with a Chinese legend (the same as on the letters of Arγun of 1289 and 1290) |
| Material | paper (flax), 68.6 × 27.8 cm; seal 14.5 × 14.9 cm |
| Kept | Vatican, Archivio Segreto Vaticano (Archivio Apostolico Vaticano), A.A. Arm. I–XVIII, no. 1801 (1) (Archivum Arcis fonds — the former archive of Castel Sant’Angelo) |
| Discovery and first edition | found by Cardinal E. Tisserant in 1921; the find was reported by P. Pelliot in 1922; edition: Mostaert & Cleaves 1952 (doc. A) |
| Text | transcription and translation in the corpus mongoliancorpus.org |
Contents
"""Word of Us, Abaγa."" The khan orders governors, post-station inspectors and boatmen to supply the ""bishops"" headed by Baračirqun, who came from the Pope, with relay animals, drink and rations and not to seize their belongings. Written at Aras. Tanase (2008) and Lupprian (1981) link it with the return of Gerard of Prato's mission (1279)."
Facsimiles
Literature (8)
- Tisserant E. (1946). Une lettre de l'ilkhan de Perse Abaga adressée en 1268 au pape Clément IV.
- Mostaert A., Cleaves F.W. (1952). Trois documents mongols des Archives secrètes vaticanes. PDF · 4.8 MB
- Ligeti L. (1972). Monuments préclassiques 1. XIIIe et XIVe siècles. PDF · 21.9 MB
- Lupprian K.-E. (1981). Die Beziehungen der Päpste zu islamischen und mongolischen Herrschern im 13. Jahrhundert anhand ihres Briefwechsels. PDF · 7.8 MB
- Dobu (Добу) (1983). Uyiγurǰin mongγol üsüg-ün durasqaltu bičig-üd. PDF · 119.9 MB
- Rachewiltz I. de (2005). A Faulty Reading in the Safe Conduct of Abaγa. PDF · 0.4 MB
- Tumurtogoo D. (ed.), Cecegdari G. (2006). Mongolian Monuments in Uighur-Mongolian Script (XIII–XVI Centuries). Introduction, Transcription and Bibliography. PDF · 31.0 MB
- Tanase T. (2008). Une lettre en latin inédite de l'ilkhan Abaqa au pape Nicolas III: croisade ou mission? PDF · 1.3 MB
Source of the data: Mostaert & Cleaves 1952: 420–424 (description, shelfmark, dimensions), 430–445 (text, translation), pl. I, VI; Ligeti 1972: 243–244; Lupprian 1981: Nr. 48 (dates it to 1279); Tanase 2008: 333–334; Rachewiltz 2005