Baqt

Baqt, also spelled Baqt, refers to a long-standing diplomatic and commercial treaty between the Aksumite Empire of northeast Africa (centered in what is now northern Ethiopia and Eritrea) and the Muslim states along the Red Sea and Arabian littoral. The agreement is believed to have originated in late antiquity, with its core terms circulating in Arabic and Ethiopian sources from roughly the 6th to the 9th or 10th centuries. The name derives from a word associated with tribute or exchange.

The Baqt established a framework for peaceful relations, trade, and cross-cultural contact across the Red Sea. Under the terms, the Aksumite king was said to provide periodic gifts—traditionally described as goods and sometimes enslaved people—to the Muslim rulers, in return for continued safe passage, favorable trade conditions, and protection for merchants and Christian communities operating in the region. The arrangement facilitated long-distance commerce, maritime traffic, and interaction between Ethiopian and Arab societies for several centuries.

Terms and duration: The exact provisions of the Baqt varied over time and between sources, and there is no single, universally agreed text. What remains clear is that the treaty functioned as a durable peace and trade pact rather than a mere temporary alliance, shaping relations between Christian Aksum and Muslim polities across the Red Sea. The Baqt’s formal termination is uncertain, with some accounts suggesting it faded as new political and commercial dynamics emerged in the medieval period.

Significance: The Baqt is one of the most cited examples of early Christian–Muslim diplomacy and illustrates the complexity of Red Sea world trade, diplomacy, and cultural exchange in late antiquity and the early medieval era.