“رسائل نسائية من الشرق القديم محفوظات قصر ماري (تل الحريري)”
وثائق مسمارية من العصر البابلي القديم

Or

Women’s Letters from the Ancient Near East: An Anthology of the Mari Archives

 Edited by: Hekmat Dirbas

This new publication presents an Arabic edition of approximately 188 Old Babylonian letters from the Mari Archives (Tell Hariri, Syria), widely known as “women’s letters.” These letters, written on cuneiform tablets, were composed by or addressed to royal and elite women—including queens, princesses, priestesses, musicians, servants, and female prophets—during the reigns of Shamshi-Adad I and Zimri-Lim.
 

Most of these texts were previously published in the French series Archives royales de Mari, and although a revised French edition exists, no complete English edition has yet appeared. The book offers access to this material in Arabic, making it available to a broader readership.
 

These letters are of particular importance because they highlight women as active authors and key participants in political, cultural, religious, and social life in ancient Mesopotamia and Syria. They contain personal stories and emotions while also providing valuable information on broader issues such as governance, religion, prophecy, and oracles.