Geniza Lab

Letter to a woman (possibly from her son in law, as it mentions her daughter), and the instruction to come quickly if she wants to come. Also refers to Syria, Fusṭāṭ and Alexandria, and complains about poverty and difficult economic circumstances. (Information in part from CUDL)

Letter from an unidentified sender addressed at least in part to a woman. In Judaeo-Arabic. This is the second (or at any rate final) folio of what was originally a longer letter. Dating: ca. 13th century. This section opens with an expression of emotional distress (fa-yabqā qalbī marjūf). The wife of Surūr al-Qalyūbī has been harmed (? inḍarrat) because of the delay of the silk. The addressee should send it with the jailer (? al-sājin). Muʿammar spoke with the sender about something (a beverage?) this week, which amounted to 10 or more dirhams. "It can only be drunk in wine jugs (kīzān khamr), so lend me a dirham so that I can buy him jugs." The addressee should send a letter in Hebrew (or at least Hebrew script) to 'the rest of the community' conveying your thanks.' The addressee should send the knife (? al-sikkīna) and the tefillin, as the sender has injured his left arm "because of the throwing of the jug" (??). The sender asks the addressee and 'the mother' to pray for him. The addressee should thank Abū l-Makārim. Mentions Abū Zikrī and his brother-in-law, and regards to R. Simḥa and his wife. (Information in part from CUDL.) ASE

Fragment from a letter. (Information from CUDL)

Letter mentioning school fee. (Information from Goitein, Education in Muslim Countries, p. 106)

Letter fragment in Judaeo-Arabic. Mentions trouble with the government ('it would take too long to explain') and reporting the death of a female relative. (Information in part from CUDL)

Legal document(s) with testimony concerning property and huge sums of money. Recto: "I said that she owes me a great deal of money and there are קבאלאת I have written in her name and an account for 23,000 dirhams, and a testimony (? ishhād) for 9,500 dirhams, and household items she acknowledged, and it was written in the shimmush (court ledger).... that which I owe her, in the name of Yosef b. Ibrāhīm... he should collect it from me and return it to her..." Verso: "..written that which was paid by Yosef b. Ḥasan... to Yosef b. Avraham from the money of this document... 3,000 dirham... and he still owes [...]... and there is against him a testimony from two trustworthy people that... And we said to Yosef b. Ḥasan, this document is valid, and on its back (it is recorded that) he repaid some of the total..." The format and content are unusual for a routine legal document. The handwriting is similar to some bifolios from books of responsa, such as T-S Ar.48.53, T-S Ar.48.89, and T-S NS 164.175. Needs further examination. (Information in part from CUDL.)

Two fragments of a legal document concerning the rent for a property located in Qaṣr al-Shamʿ on the Nile bank. In the hand of Natan b. Shemuel or Natan b. Shelomo. The lessor is al-Shaykh al-Raḍiyy. The lessee (al-mustaʾjir) is Ibn Wahbān. Dating: Mentions the year 1542 Seleucid, which is 1230/31 CE. The rent is 25 dirhams a month, which comes out to 2100 dirhams over the period of the 7-year lease. There will also be a new storey constructed overlooking the Nile. Join: Moshe Yagur. (Information from Goitein's index card and CUDL.)

Legal document mentioning a certain Efrayim; mirrored script. (Information from CUDL)

Fragment from the beginning of a legal document concerning Shemuel b. Eliʿezer. (Information from CUDL)

Letter in the hand of Avraham Maimonides (d. 1237) or his son David asking a cantor to arrange a collection in the synagogue on a Thursday morning for two chickens and bread for a poor, old, sick man. (Information from Mediterranean Society, II, p. 463, and from Amir Ashur; cf. T-S Misc.8.18, written in a similar hand and layout.) Dating: 13th century

Medical prescription, which includes ingredients such as crushed marsh mallow, liquorice, chicory seed, senna, and lemon juice. (CUDL). AA.

Three leaves, all of which belong together. One side of each fragment contains an elaborate trousseau list, with values given in both Hebrew numerals and Greek/Coptic numerals. (It is not immediately clear if all this is for the same marriage vs. distinct marriages.) The versos contain different documents. Verso of fol. 1 contains notes for the drawing up of.a marriage document between the groom [...] b. Yefet ha-Levi and the bride Sitt al-[...]. A note at 90 degrees reads, "The wedding of the son of the Rayyis, Monday 10 Nisan 145[6?]." If the date is read correctly, that is 1145 CE. Verso of fol. 2 contains the beginning of a draft of a ketubba drawn up under the authority of the Nagid Shemuel. b. Ḥananya. There are also some large, ornate red letters and a few words in Arabic script. Verso of fol. 3 contains more of the draft of an ornate ketubba header as well as part of a legal document (perhaps the ketubba itself). The scribe is probably well-known from other legal documents of this period. (Information in part from CUDL.)

Dowry list for the marriage of Ḡālib b. Ḥalfon and Sitt al-Ḥusn bat Berakhot, with Coptic numerals and jottings in Arabic script in the margin. (Information from CUDL)

Legal document concerning a debt between Abū l-Manṣūr al-Ṣabāwī, known as M[....], Makārim b. Saʿīd and the orphaned children of his brother Abū l-Surūr. (Information from CUDL)

Fragment from a legal document mentioning a certain Moses. (Information from CUDL)

Awaiting description - see Goitein's index card.

Verso: accounts in Arabic script, probably concerning debts and expenses, with Coptic numerals. Mentions names such as Abū ʿAlī. (Information from CUDL.)

Recto and verso: Begging letter from Baqāʾ the cantor to the Nagid David Maimonides, asking for support. In Judaeo-Arabic. Touching on various issues such as copying of books and composition of religious poetry, renting out of a house, and alimony. Mentions the sender's paternal aunt’s son Ismāʿīl. Join: Alan Elbaum.

Recto: letter from a father to his son. Verso: jottings in Hebrew and Arabic script, which includes names such as ‘the leader Abū l-Mufaḍḍal’. (Information from CUDL)

Responsum on the division of property, with citations from the Palestinian Talmud and the Babylonian Talmud. Possibly a product of one of the French rabbis who immigrated to Fusṭāṭ in the 13th century. (Information from CUDL)