Geniza Lab

Letter to the sender’s mother, in Cairo (yaṣil ilā maḥrūsat al-qāhira). In Judaeo-Arabic, with the address in Arabic script. Not a great deal of the content is preserved. Reports that Abū l-[...] arrived. Interestingly, the "ve-shalom" at the end is in a cruder hand than the skilled hand of the letter itself (maybe a clue that it was written by a scribe). (Information in part from CUDL)

Legal document from the time of Avraham Maimonides. Small fragment from the beginning.

Receipt of some kind. Mentions a ḥaver; "this document/letter"; and that Abū Zikrī delivered the goods, including a burniyya, something miṣrī, and a kerchief (? khirqa) containing [...].

Someone's notes to self: "I will find out from Abū Isḥāq אלגוולי if Ibn Ṭalāʾiʿ traveled to Mecca... and from Faḍāʾil al-Ḥazzan... and I'll go to al-Shaykh al-ʿAfīf and demand the thing from him: 40—20—1—40—200—40. And peace." On verso, many Greek/Coptic numerals.

Legal document(s) in Hebrew. Late. Very faded

Letter to ‘[ha-me]ʿ[u]le ba-havura gedol ha-yeshiva’. (Information from CUDL)

Deed of sale of a house. Dated 1483/1171-72. The 'Ha-rav ha-gadol be-yisrael' in line 2 is doubtless Moses Maimonides, who was at that time head of the Jews. (Information from Goitein's index cards)

Letter to Eliyyahu the judge, with jottings in the margin. (Information from CUDL)

Legal document. Extremely faded. Fragmentary (upper left corner). Mainly in Judaeo-Arabic. The portion preserved here consists of the identification of the party or parties and a capacity clause.

Letter fragment. In Judaeo-Arabic. The ends of 10 lines are preserved. (Information in part from CUDL)

Note asking for mercy/forgiveness from Sayyidnā. In Judaeo-Arabic. Extremely faded. סידנא ינצר אלינא בעין אלרחמה... עז עלי... סידנא... אלכדמה...

Legal document, probably. Small fragment. Looks like the hand of Shemuel b. Seʿadya. Mentions a deposit.

Document in Judaeo-Arabic. Small fragment. Mentions Monday, the 5th of Adar.

Letter by a man to his friend inquiring about the cessation of correspondence and emphasizing that 'brothers' may sometimes be angry with each other, but that the one who feels hurt must speak out, lest the other suspect him of some different motive. (Information from Mediterranean Society, V, p. 205)

Note in which a scribe asks the Nagid to be permitted to copy an Arabic translation of the tractate 'Hullin.' (Information from Goitein's index cards)

Receipt or affidavit signed by Shelomo ha-Rofe. In Judaeo-Arabic. Dating: Perhaps 13th or 14th century. Attesting that Meʾir and his son Yehuda Abū Shaʿra rented a house in an arcade/portico (riwāq), perhaps owned by R. Yiṣḥaq. They were never late in paying rent. They have now moved out and returned the key. (Information in part from CUDL.)

Probably a letter. Small fragment. Contains praises for somebody called "the Nasi of the generation" (nasi ha-dor). The same phrase is used for David b. Daniel in T-S Misc.35.35. (Information in part from CUDL)

Letter in the hand of Yefet b. Menashshe. In Judaeo-Arabic. Fragmentary (lower left corner). Mentions: someone's brother, the qāḍī Amīn al-Dawla; the bearer of the letter, Abū ʿAlī; purchasing goods from the diwan of [...]; and discussing other business matters. (Information in part from CUDL)

Order of payment signed by Abū Zikrī Kohen, asking Abū l-Khayr Khiyār to pay out the price of the gypsum (3 dinars) to the bearer of the note. Dated: Av 1452 Seleucid = 1141 CE. (Information in part from CUDL)

Piyyut.