Geniza Lab

Large Arabic document with an ornate calligraphic header, otherwise very difficult to read. Needs examination.

Four pages from an Arabic literary treatise on prosody (ʿilm al-ʿarūḍ).

Tables for divination or magic, e.g. giving the names of the angels of different lands. Judaeo-Arabic, late hand.

Leaf from an Arabic treatise, calligraphic and vocalized. It appears to be a literary anthology, with quotations and verses cited from various Abbasid-era caliphs and poets. The margin on one side contains text from the mishna (Berakhot 4:2). The margin on the other side contains accounts in Arabic-script, naming people such as Abū Saʿd, Abū Isḥāq, Abū l-Faḍl, and Maʿānī.

Arabic poetry, calligraphic.

Judaeo-Arabic poetry, late.

Four pages from a literary treatise containing instructions for treasure hunting and recipes, perhaps alchemical. There are numerous fragments probably in the hand of the same scribe or even from the same work; see FGP Joins Suggestions.

Judaeo-Arabic poetry.

Arabic poetry.

Recto: A recipe in Arabic script (bāb yanfaʿ li. . . . yusḥaq. . . yukhlaṭ. . .), written in two different hands or at least with two different calami. Verso: Magical diagrams including an illustration of a bird, with captions in Arabic script.

Recto: A recipe in Arabic script. Verso: Three more lines in Arabic script, significance unclear. Underneath, in large letters, is written "bismillāh aṭāl allāh."

First three pages: Medical recipes in Arabic script. Fourth page (verso of BL OR 5565G.39): Document in Arabic script in a different hand. Needs examination.

An Arabic poem transcribed into Judaeo-Arabic and prefaced as al-Baghīḍī's deathbed advice/testament for his son. See these articles for more information about the poet (also known as al-Waʿīẓī): http://www.alriyadh.com/601502 and http://www.alriyadh.com/318049.

Arabic poetry, probably.

Bifolium from the beginning of Ibn Buṭlān's Daʿwat al-Aṭṭibā'.

Segment of a ketubba (marriage contract), in the hand of Ḥalfon b. Menashshe ha-Levi.

Will, probably. In the hand of Ḥalfon b. Menashshe. In which Sayyid al-Kull disposes of his possessions (including a drug store, dukkān ʿiṭr, ḥawāʾij, ʿudda, māʿūn), giving some to his two sisters, one of whom is named ʿAduwwa. And possibly also his brother and his wife. (Information from Goitein's index card.) Might be the same Sayyid al-Kull as in Bodl. MS heb. d 66/112 + T-S 6J1.18.

Mercantile letter from the Ibn ʿAwkal dossier. Dating: early 11th century. Includes great complaints about bad treatment by addressee. (Information from Goitein's index card.) Ed. Gil, תרבות וחברה בתולדות ישראל בימי-הביניים: קובץ מאמרים לזכרו של חיים הלל בן-ששון - עורכים: בונפיל, ראובן;בן-ששון, מנחם;הקר, יוסף.

Family letter. In Arabic script. Maybe from a man in serious trouble with his wife, writing to his son who appeased or reached a settlement with her (ṣālaḥta sittak). The sender calls her a ḥānitha (oathbreaker) and a saḥḥāqa (literally "tribadist" but usually meaning "lesbian" - see Pernilla Myrne, Female Sexuality in the Early Medieval Islamic World, p. 146). The sender concludes by threatening to kill himself or do something violent to her unless they “set him free,” and if he acts rashly it will be the addressee’s fault:قد صالحت ستك بالله عليك اطلق سراحي ولك في ذلك الاجر من الله الا [[قلتل]] قتلت روحي او اعمل بها مصيبة وتكون المطالب باثمي. Merits further examination. ASE.

Medical prescription. In Arabic script. Looks like a different hand than the letter on recto.