Geniza Lab

Letter in Arabic script in a chancery hand—likely a report or petition. Three and a half lines are preserved. Recommending a certain man who is one of the traders entering (or importing goods into?) Egypt and who is a good man. In the last line, the official titles wulāh and ʿummāl are mentioned. Reused on verso for Hebrew literary text. Needs further examination.

Report. In Arabic script. Headed: al-ʿizza lillāh waḥdahū. Might be a draft, since there are some extra jottings in the same hand around the first few lines of the report. There is also one line in Arabic script on verso. Dating: Likely Ayyubid era based on hand, overall appearance, and typical titles; may mention Rabīʿ I 632 AH, which would be 1234 CE if correctly deciphered (l. 12). From ʿAbdallāh the mushārif al-jawālī (a diwan official—the supervisor of the capitation taxes). He is reporting on something to do with Abū ʿAlī and his brother Ṭāhir (are they jahbadhs?). Underneath the latter's name appears the Greek/Coptic numeral for 70. There is a remaining payment due either of 3 dinars or of 3 dinars every month. At the bottom, the name Hibatallāh b. Bū l-Faraj appears. In the margins and on verso there is Hebrew literary text. Merits much more examination. ASE

List of names with numbers. Maybe charitable distributions or contributions. On recto there is a Judaeo-Arabic literary text.

On verso there is a fragment of a list written in some kind of shorthand. On recto there is a Judaeo-Arabic text on linguistics.

Literary text. Listing permutations of various roots in Hebrew.

Document in Arabic script. Maybe a state document. The ends of two lines are preserved, including a partial date (the 14th of ...)

Literary text in Judaeo-Arabic and Hebrew, referring to Ezekiel's vision of the Divine chariot (merkava), quoting Ezekiel 1:8, 12, 19, 21. Looks like the hand of Shelomo b. Shemuel b. Seʿadya (late 12th century and early 13th century). There are marginal notes in Arabic script referring to Galen and stomachache. (Information in part from Niessen/Shivtiel catalogue.)

Translation of Song of Songs 8:11-14 with Hebrew incipits; Judaeo-Arabic final note and marginal notes. (Information from Shivtiel/Niessen.)

Tiny fragment with some words in Arabic script.

Letter in Arabic script. Damaged and faded. Needs examination.

Legal formularies.

Letter. A letter from Yosef Ibn al-Ashqar to the treasury officials on purchasing a house. 16th century. Published: אברהם דוד, תעודות מהגניזה על בני קאשטרו במצרים במאות הט"ז-הי"ז, פעמים 54 (1993), עמ' 126-127. AA

Very faded letter dealing probably with a commercial issue

Fragment from a top of letter mentioning הדיין המשכיל and the Diadem.

Fragment from a legal deed involving Abu 'Ali b. Avraham the elder and amount of 9 qirats, written by Halfon b. Menashshe Halevi. AA

Power of attorney. The son or daughter of Yeshuʿa the elder appoints Seʿadʾel as an agent to receive a gift. Written by Halfon b. Menashshe ha-Levi (dates: 1100–38 CE).

Small fragment. On recto part of a letter mentioning arrival to the 'our Rabbi' and a shop. On verso opening lines of an Hebrew letter written in a different hand, and one line of Arabic - needs examination.

Torn and fragmentary. On recto probably a letter mentioning witnesses and the name Sai'd b. Salman. On verso a very faded Arabic letter. - Needs examination

Fragments of a draft of opening lines of a letter to a notable written by Mansur b. Shlomo. Little preserved of the content. Name mentioned: al-Najib R. Hayyim.

See PGP 3597