Geniza Lab

Recto: Letter from Bū Manṣūr b. Abī Saʿd to Abū Isḥāq al-Talmid al-Muʿallim. In Judaeo-Arabic. Conveying good wishes for the high holidays. The content of the letter is mostly cut off, but mentions that something is in the keeping of R. Ezra. ASE

Verso: Literary. A Judaeo-Arabic transcription of an Arabic poem, telling the story of the falcon (bāz) who caught the songbird (ʿuṣfūr) but let it go after it begged for mercy. Goitein suggests that a preacher wished to use the story in a sermon. It is an approximate equivalent of an Arabic poem that can be found in literary anthologies. According to al-Abshīhī in Al-Mustaṭraf Fī Kull Fann Mustaẓraf, a certain Naṣr b. Manīʿ who had been sentenced to death recited this poem before the caliph. ASE ( زعموا بأن الصقر صادف مرة ... عصفور بر ساقه التقدير ) ( فتكلم العصفور تحت جناحه ... والصقر منقض عليه يطير ) ( إني لمثلك لا أتمم لقمة ... ولئن شويت فإنني لحقير ) ( فتهاون الصقر المدل بصيده ... كرما وأفلت ذلك العصفور )

Fragment of a Judaeo-Arabic letter with 3mm characters and 3.5cm space between lines and upward-slanting lines (Goitein: "I have hardly seen anything like this").

One side: Judaeo-Arabic retelling of the story of Joseph. The other side: remnants of an interesting design in black ink and ~6 extremely faded lines in Judaeo-Arabic, possibly documentary.

Literary. The book of Numbers with targum.

Fragment of a Haggadah.

Informal note in Judaeo-Arabic. "The shaykh Sibāʿ will give to the messenger a ratl of good-quality oil, none other."

Literary, Hebrew.

Magical instructions in Judaeo-Arabic, e.g. for getting pregnant or healing a scorpion sting.

Bill of divorce. Husband: Riḍā b. [...]. Wife: Tarīfa/Turayfa(?) bt. Malik(?).

Literary. Bible.

Letter to Damsīs. In Judaeo-Arabic. Mentioning the mother of the recipient... something to be purchased for the writer... capitation tax payments... receipts... [ei]ght dirhams and a hundred eggs (?).

Opening of a letter from [...] b. al-'Ajami to higher-ranked person, with several lines of Hebrew blessings, several lines of formulaic Judaeo-Arabic, then it is cut off.

Fragment of an Aramaic literary source.

Fragment of a literary source.

One side: five lines of Arabic script, content unclear. The other side: laws of sheḥiṭa.

Very faded, perhaps magical incantations? Mentions angels' names, demons, plague, quotes Song of Songs 8:7.

Hebrew qinot mentioning the Spanish exile.

Legal document. In Arabic script. Location: Yemen. Dated: Shawwāl 1177 AH, which is 1764 CE. At least six witness clauses appear at the bottom.

Letter in Judaeo-Arabic. Dating: ca. 1764 CE. Mentions numerous names: Yaḥyā b. Hādī, ʿAlī and his brother Ṣāliḥ, ʿAlī Ḥusayn, ʿAzīz b. Sinān, Yūsuf al-ʿAzīzī, Manṣūr b. Avraham, Mūsā al-Ḥajabī, and ʿAlī Ḥusayn al-Ashwal. It is cold in the village, and everyone is sick, and the writer requests a delivery of some kind. There is also a report on conditions in the 'upper village.'