Correspondences to and from Dr. Atiya dated 1950-1960 concerning lectures on the Mount Sinai manuscript project

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A. S. Atiya, T^ W0|5 13 Sharia Mariette Pasha, Cairo (Egypt), July 16, 1950. My dear Garitte, It seems ages since we parted outside the Monastery gate, but you can rest assured that your memory has always been present in my mind and that I have always wanted to write to you in spite of the fact that you have not written to me. I returned finally from the Monastery a few weeks ago, and I have been very busy with the ac­cumulated piles of work awaiting my arrival both in Cairo and Alex­andria. Wallace is still alone by himself in the Monastery for the remakes requested by the Library of Congress. It was patheti® to know just lately that our beloved friend Clark, now in Jerusalem, has extorted an order from the Congress Library to send poor Wallie back to work with him in Jerusalem. I feel that this is unfair. As I may go to America next October, I shall request that he should be replaced. j Much has happened since that fellow Clark left the Monastery, In a cleaner and quieter atmosphere, I was not only able to finish my catalogue raisonraiiili# the Arabic Colleotion, but I was also able to make new discoveries. The most remarkable of these discoveries is a new Palimpsest which I have christened Codex Arabicus. Unlike all other known Palimpsests which eonsist of two layers of writing, I have proved beyond any doubt that my Palimpsest consists of FIYS layers of writing. The deepest is archaic Greek which may be even older than the Codex Sinaiticus, Then ©omes two layers of Syriac of which the upper one is identified by Murad Kamel as fifth cent­ury, that is, two centuries older than the famed Codex Syjifi^jius. The next layer upwards is an Arabi© Kufic script apparently of the first century of the Hijra. Well, Garitte, what do you think of that. Prof. Albright thinks that it is one of the most remarkable manuscript discoveries of all time. I forgot to tell you that the fifth and latest text is a Hagiographica in eighth century &,®wGJi$60 Kufie. Wendell Phillips who witnessed the discovery called it a million dollar baby of the Expedition. Will you tell Prof. Braguet that I have revised his list of Arabic desiderata and found that I had actually microfilmed most of it. On revising the rest of M s requests, I was able to make a few additions, but I was forced to leave cut some others as they were in a bad state unfit for the camera. Thus his desiderata have been fulfilled as if he were present himself. I am depending on you to act for me by conveying this message t#Aim together with my cordial greetings. I do not feel too well after the gigantic efforts in Mt. Sinai and now the heat is sweltering in Egypt. I hope to go to the mount­ains of Cyprus for rest and recuperation for a few weeks before re­suming my activities especially with the definitive preparation of Wmyi tcha tmayl okgiuned efsotr yroeumre mCborrapnucse.s ,, • SiIl ncerely yours,