Baqt facts for kids

The Baqt (pronounced Bahkt) was a very old treaty signed in the 7th-century. It was an agreement between the Christian kingdom of Makuria (in what is now Sudan) and the new Muslim rulers of Egypt. This treaty lasted for almost 700 years, making it one of the longest-lasting agreements in history! The name "Baqt" might come from an Egyptian word for "barter" (trading goods) or a Greek-Roman word for "pact" (an agreement).

History of the Baqt Treaty

Even though the Baqt lasted a very long time, we don't know everything about it. Most of what we know comes from Muslim historical writings.

The Baqt was signed after the Muslim armies took over Egypt in 652 AD. That year, a general named Abdallah ibn Abi Sarh led an army south into Nubia, where Makuria was located. Some later historians said that Nubia wasn't worth conquering. However, earlier stories suggest that the Arab armies faced a tough fight at the Second Battle of Dongola. They realized it would be hard to fully conquer the region. So, they agreed to the Baqt treaty instead. The agreement was made between General Abi Sarh and the Makurian King Qalidurut.

What the Treaty Said

We don't have the original copy of the Baqt treaty. The oldest copies we have were written hundreds of years later and they are a bit different from each other. It's even possible the treaty was just a spoken agreement, not written down.

However, some parts of the Baqt are quite clear:

• The Arabs would not attack Nubia, and the Nubians would not attack Egypt.
• People from both nations could freely trade and travel between the two places. They were promised safe passage when visiting the other nation.
• People were not allowed to move and settle permanently in the other nation's land.
• People who ran away, including escaped slaves, had to be returned.
• The Nubians had to keep a mosque (a Muslim place of worship) ready for Muslim visitors and people living there.
• The Muslims did not have to protect the Nubians if other groups attacked them.
• The most important part was that Nubia had to send 360 people each year to Egypt. These people were sent as a form of payment or tribute. They had to be healthy adults, not very old people or young children. They also had to be a mix of males and females. In return, Egypt sent goods like wheat and lentils to Nubia. For about 700 years, from the 7th to the 14th century, this yearly exchange happened.

Why the Baqt Was Special

This treaty was quite unusual for the time. Usually, when Arab armies conquered a place, they would take full control. But the Baqt was more like agreements the Eastern Roman Empire sometimes made with its neighbors. It was also special because it largely stopped the spread of Islam and Arab rule into Nubia for about 500 years. Trading goods as part of diplomatic agreements was common in Northeast Africa, so the Nubians were used to such deals.

Some Muslim scholars debated whether the Baqt was right. They wondered if it went against the duty to expand the lands of Islam.

How the Treaty Was Kept

The Baqt didn't always run smoothly. There were sometimes conflicts between the two neighbors.

During the Abbasid Period

In the 830s, Egypt faced some problems, and King Zacharias III of Makuria stopped sending the yearly payment. When the Abbasid government took firm control of Egypt again, they demanded that the payments restart and that all missed payments be made. King Zacharias couldn't or wouldn't pay such a large amount. So, he sent his son and future king, Georgios, on a long journey to Baghdad in 835 AD. Georgios went to talk directly with the caliph (the Muslim ruler). This trip was a big success! The missed payments were canceled, and the Baqt was changed so that the payment only had to be made every three years.

During the Fatimid Period

Relations were closest during the Fatimid period in Egypt. The Fatimids were a different branch of Islam (Shi'ite) and didn't have many allies in the mostly Sunni Muslim world. So, Nubia became an important friend. The people sent from Nubia even became a key part of the Fatimid army.

During the Ayyubid and Mamluk Periods

Relations became worse under the Ayyubids and very bad under the Mamluks. Eventually, full-scale wars broke out. Even after Makuria's kingdom fell apart in the 13th century, the Egyptians still demanded the payments from the new Muslim kingdoms in the region. The Baqt finally ended in the mid-14th century when organized government in the region completely collapsed.