Description and research notes
Original fully handwritten Arabic testimonial issued by the Greece Ministry of Foreign Affairs through its consular mission in Cairo, dating to the early royal era of the Kingdom of Greece administrative presence in Egypt. The document is written entirely in Arabic, an unusual and extremely rare practice for European consulates active in Egypt during the early twentieth century. Most Greek consular paperwork of this period was produced in Greek or French, making this Arabic language issuance a non standard and historically remarkable case.
The testimonial includes a complete red consular seal bearing the royal emblem of the Kingdom of Greece featuring the crowned cross and shield, and is countersigned by Greek consular officers in period fountain pen ink. The text presents a formal attestation involving an identified individual, with certification of status or condition requiring consular intervention. The consular seal overlaps the handwritten lines, demonstrating official issuance rather than later annotation.
Handwritten Arabic consular documents from European governments in Egypt are nearly unknown. Consular paperwork was normally retained in official files, later destroyed during diplomatic reorganizations, or lost through migration of Greek families leaving Egypt. The combination of full Arabic manuscript, complete royal Greek consular seal, and multiple original signatures elevates this testimonial to a museum grade artifact representing expatriate legal life, personal status certification, and cross cultural administrative practice in early twentieth century Cairo. It is one of the strongest known survivors of Greek governmental manuscript interaction with the Arabic speaking community.