The manuscripts that are found at the Holy Monastery of Sinai are either the offerings of notable rulers or of simple pilgrims, or they are the work of the monks living at Sinai, written to supply some needed text. The earliest manuscripts written at Sinai date to the time of the Arab predominance of the area, a time in which contact with the Orthodox centres of book production were difficult. Codices written before the eleventh century are sometimes rich in decoration, while manuscripts written after that date are adorned with miniatures. Some of these have a Constantinopolitan provenance, and reached the monastery either directly, or through one of its many far-flung dependencies. In other manuscripts, the capital letters have been designed and executed with a high artistic ability.