Baqt

The Baqṭ (Arabic: بقط, romanized: baqṭ) was a treaty between the Christian state of Makuria and the new Muslim rulers of Egypt in the 7th century. This agreement was very important because it helped keep peace between two different groups of people who had different beliefs.

The Baqṭ lasted for almost seven hundred years, which makes it one of the longest treaties ever made. Because it stayed in place for so long, historians often talk about it as a great example of how people can live together peacefully even when they are not the same.

The name "Baqṭ" might come from a word in the old Coptic language that means barter, or it could come from a word in the old Greco-Roman languages that means a kind of agreement or pact. Either way, it shows how important trade and understanding were between these two places.

History

Main article: Arab conquest of Egypt

The Baqt was a very old agreement between two countries: Makuria, a Christian kingdom, and Egypt, which had new Muslim rulers. It started after the year 652 when Arab forces moved into areas near Nubia. Some historians think the Arabs didn't want to take over Nubia by force and instead made this agreement. Others think the Arabs tried to win but found it hard, so they agreed to terms instead.

We don't have the original agreement today, and what we know mostly comes from stories written much later. But we do know some key points from these stories. The agreement said that neither country would attack the other. People from both places could travel and trade safely. People couldn't move permanently to live in the other country. If someone ran away, they would be sent back. Nubia had to keep a place for Muslim visitors. Importantly, Nubia agreed to send a certain number of items each year to Egypt in return for food like wheat and lentils. This agreement lasted for many hundreds of years.