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Marriage and divorce practices in the medieval Middle East have been studied on a very limited basis by modern historians. This scholarly work relies primarily upon the medieval Haram Collection documents that were discovered in Jerusalem in the 1970s and which still remain largely unpublished. This book addresses such common questions as the marriage age, minor marriages, the groom´s dower, the bride´s dowry, polygamy, talaq divorce, khul´ divorce, faskh (judicial dissolution), and child custody rights. The time and location is situated in late fourteenth century (C.E.) Jerusalem. This book argues that women appeared in court without men to represent them, they bought and sold merchandise, they engaged in trades, and indeed, they were visible members of their community who made strategic use of any available means and resources for their benefit. Four fourteenth century Arabic documents have been translated into English by the author and included as Appendices.

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Colleen A. Lowry has a Bachelor´s Degree in History and Near Eastern Studies from Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, a Master´s Degree in History from Portland State University in Portland, Oregon, and a Juris Doctorate Degree in Law from Texas Southern University in Houston, Texas. She is a lawyer and independent scholar in Portland, Oregon.

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