Description and research notes
Official Patriarchal letter issued on 17 September 1943 on the formal stationery of the Melkite Greek Catholic Patriarchate of Antioch, Alexandria and Jerusalem. The sheet is printed on cream wove paper with light texture and a faint vertical laid pattern visible under angled light. At upper right appears the crowned Patriarchal emblem, followed by the printed Arabic title: “بطريرك أنطاكية والإسكندرية وأورشليم وسائر المشرق” (Patriarch of Antioch, Alexandria, Jerusalem and All the East). The registry numbers “عدد 305” and “سجل 16” are entered in manuscript, representing internal filing and classification by the Patriarchal chancery.
The entire text is typed in 1940s Arabic typewriter script, displaying the characteristic uneven inking and slight vertical drift of early Arabic typebars. Addressed to الدكتور توفيق حجّار (Dr. Tawfiq Hijazi) in Cairo, the letter expresses gratitude for medical assistance rendered to the Patriarchate and confirms earlier correspondence. The tone and formula follow the traditional Melkite Catholic chancery style—formal, diplomatic, and structured around courteous acknowledgment of service.
At lower left appears the handwritten signature of Patriarch Cyril IX Moghabghab (كيرلس التاسع), executed in heavy black dip-pen ink with pooling at the downstrokes, confirming an in-period original autograph. Beneath the signature is the printed office title of the Patriarch. This autograph corresponds to the handwriting of Cyril IX during his tenure.
Cyril IX Moghabghab (1855–1947) served as the Melkite Greek Catholic Patriarch from 1925 until his death in 1947. As Patriarch he presided over a community whose jurisdiction historically spanned the Levant, Egypt, and the Melkite diaspora. His Patriarchate oversaw parishes in Alexandria, Cairo, Port Said and throughout Egypt—making Patriarchal correspondence issued from Alexandria both legitimate and historically expected. A prominent figure in Middle Eastern Catholic leadership, Cyril IX navigated a complex world shaped by the aftermath of the Ottoman collapse, interwar political realignments, and the rising national identities of the Arab world. He is remembered for diplomatic engagement with both the Vatican and regional governments, for administrative reforms within the Melkite Church, and for strengthening the community's presence across Egypt.
Signed Patriarchal letters from Cyril IX Moghabghab are exceptionally rare in private hands. Most Melkite Patriarchal correspondence remained in ecclesiastical archives, local parish files, chancery registries or clerical estates. Pieces surviving with complete headings, registry marks, and an intact, bold ink signature—such as this example—are of high documentary value. The letter displays only light horizontal folds from mailing, faint corner toning, and minor handling marks. No edge reductions or perforations are present, and the Patriarchal emblem remains fully sharp.
This document stands among the finest surviving specimens of Melkite Patriarchal administration issued in Egypt during the Second World War, offering a primary historical source for the study of Middle Eastern Catholic leadership and the functioning of Patriarchal institutions in Alexandria.