This volume contains a collection articles that cover the manufacturing and labour in the early Islamic world. The articles cover Iraq, Egypt and Ifriqiyya; while Iran, Syria, Arabia and the western Maghrib and Andulas are largely unrepresented.

Contents: Introduction; Manufacturing: The development of techniques in the medieval Muslim world, G. Wiet, V. Elisséeff and Ph. Wolff; The main industries of the Mediterranean area as reflected in the records of the Cairo Geniza, S. D. Goitein; An introduction to the study of Muslim ceramics, Jean Sauvaget; A new interpretation of the economic history of medieval Egypt: the role of the textile industry, 254-567/868-1171, Gladys Frantz-Murphy; Labour: The crafts among the Arabs, Ignaz Goldziher; Base trades in Islam, Robert Brunschvig; The economic conditions of the Mawali in early Islamic times, Jamal Judah; Craftsmen and groups of craftsmen in the first centuries of Islam, Barbara Finster; The working people of the Mediterranean area during the high Middle Ages, S. D. Goitein; Agricultural and irrigation labourers in social and economic life of Iraq during the Umayyad and Abbasid caliphates, Muhammad Abdul Jabbar; The ’serfs’ of Islamic society under the Abbasid regime, Muhammad Abdul Jabbar Beg; Law and economy in Ifriqiya (Tunisia) in the 3rd Islamic century: agriculture and the role of slaves in the country’s economy, Mohamed Talbi; Labour partnerships in early Islamic law, Abraham L. Udovitch; Index.