Shaving Hair and Beards in Early Islamic Egypt: An Arab Innovation?
Petra M. Sijpesteijn
ABSTRACT Three papyri dating from the first 80 years after Arab conquest record authorities in Egypt punishing some Egyptian officials by shaving off their hair and beards. Literary sources confirm that this period ordered of beards native population. Later Arabic narrative abound references to punishment, both official juridical texts popular descriptions public punishments shaming ceremonies mediaeval elsewhere Islamic territories. There are, however, no attestations systematic use punishment pre-Islamic Egypt, nor does context fit later accounts hair. This article examines where practice as an officially prescribed early came why it was – or deemed be effective a punishment.
Al-Masaq: Journal of the Medieval Mediterranean|Data Archiving and Networked Services (DANS)