Geniza Lab

Recto: Letter from David b. Naʿim to Meir b. Naʿim. In Judaeo-Arabic. Dated: 18 Elul 5580, which is 1820 CE. On verso there is a calendar for the year 5584 AM, which is 1823/24 CE.

Accounts in Judeo-Arabic with a variety of coinage types including dirham, kuruş (aka guruş) and zingirli– of which the latter two suggest a dating of some time in the eighteenth or early nineteenth century. Some of the entries incude notes indicating people "באסם / in the name of" and on occasion locational notes, such as on the recto "דאלך ענד פלונבו" or "this is at Palonbo's" (l. 8r, 17r in left side of bifolium) or "׳ענד ס׳ לוריא" which is also "at S[eñor] Luria's" (l.16r on right side of bifolium). On the bottom of the recto there is also mention of one "עוסמאן אפנדי" or "Osman Efendi" five lines up from the bottom and Nissim Romano (l. 32r). The verso continues in the same hand and structure of recordkeeping. Date: 18th c or 19th c. MCD.

Awaiting description. (This folder is mostly or entirely 18th-century and 19th-century accounts.)

Accounts in Ladino with western Arabic numerals that detail a wide variety of labeled figures and calculations. Based on the paleography the dating may be 17th/18th-century. In some entries names are mentioned such as Yosef Haggai (upper center recto), Shabbetay Ḥayyim de Londra[London?] (upper center recto), Hajj Ḥusayn Faqr[?] Din (lower right corner of recto), and probably others. The coinage types in use include the silver real and the Ottoman medin, here abbreviated as "מאי" for example in the lower left corner of the recto. The verso of the bifolium is blank. MCD.

Accounts in Ladino with a wide variety of detailed entries, which based on the numerical flow may be monetary gains and some expenses. At the top of the fragment the last two digits of a year may be listed "46" yet the dating system overall is unclear. Further examination needed.

Accounts in Judaeo-Arabic in which the heading's recto includes the term "מאצריפ", which may indicate these are outstanding expenses related to the "deceased Nissim Mosseri" or "מרחום נסים מוצרי" (l.1-2r). In the heading the Hebrew term for "orphans/"יתומים" (l.1r) appears in connection with two or three names one of which is clearly "Mūsā/מוסה" (l.1r). The dating of this documet is somewhat unclear because the Jewish-calendar month of Cheshvan is mentioned (l.2r) but the year appears to be Hijri as 1030AH or possibly [1]103AH (rougly 1621CE or 1691CE). The former year seems unlikely however because the monetary figures throughout this document are listed in Ottoman silver kuruş (see for example the "ق" symbol for قرش on line one of the verso) which were not minted until 1690CE or 1703CE (Pamuk, A Monetary History of the Ottoman Empire, 160). MCD.

Accounts in Judeo-Arabic that mention a variety of coinage types such as gold mahbub (specifically Egyptian mintage "מצרי"), bunduqi (Venetian ducat), fındıklı, and on the far left column the "ق" symbol for silver kuruş appears. Each of the Ottoman forms of coinage are helpful for dating the fragment to the eighteenth or early nineteenth century (for example the kuruş did not begin to appear in wide circulation until 1703CE: Pamuk, A Monetary history of the Ottoman Empire, 167). After all of the calculations have been completed there is reference to what remains, specifically "אל באקי / the remainder", which is a common term through early modern Judeo-Arabic bookkeeping. MCD.

Calculations in western Arabic numerals, mostly unlabeled yet with some Ladino appearing on the recto. In the Ladino notes there is reference to the name Abraham and the Ottoman monetary term "para" may appear in labeling one portion of the numerical figures. MCD.

Accounts in Judeo-Arabic on a bifolium whose distinct diagonal ligatures may be traceable as part of a broader register of fincancial bookkeeping. Many of the headings mention the month of Ramadan and on the verso a man with an Ottoman title is listed: " מצטפה אגא / Mustafa Ağa". The figures are epressed alphanumerically throughout the entries and the palegraphy suggests that this fragment may be 17th/18th-century. MCD.

Lists in Judeo-Arabic and Hebrew of donations collected before various Shabbatot dated in the year 5596 which is 1835/1836CE. Each list is designated by specific weeks of the liturgical calender indicated by each respective parsha reading. On the right page of the recto there are many surnames listed with corresponding monetary amounts in Ottoman silver kuruş, which is indicated by the "ق" at the top of each column in eastern Arabic numerals. Among the surnames listed, there is mention of: 'Akubas, Romano, Kohen, Karo, Yabitz, Afif, Lombrozo, 'Afif, and many others. On the left side of the recto, the purpose of various entries is more clear with the common phrase "וצל" and then a surname– which is likely indicating incoming payments. The same bookkeeping format continues on the verso. MCD.

Accounts on verso in an extensive table on the verso in which a wide array of individuals are mentioned, such as: Elʿazar Candiote, Elʿazar Cohen, Yiṣḥaq Yaʿabeṣ, Barukh Shalom, Efrayim Karo, Ḥayyim Mizraḥi, Yaʿaqov Vildo, and many others. The corresponding eastern Arabic numerical figures are likely expressing monetary sums in silver coinage (which is referenced at the top of each column as "פצה"). The confluence of these surnames, along with the paleography, helps to date this fragment as late 18th- or early 19th-century. On the recto an unrelated text in Hebrew has been recorded. Date: 18th c or 19th c. MCD.

List of inventory in Ladino for a "מאגאזין / magazin" or storehouse whose contents include: 6 copper plates "פלאטוס די קוברי", one lid or pot cover "קאפאק", one blue[?] sheet "סאבאנה מאוי" (mavi = blue in Turkish), two wool shawls "שאל לאנה", and many other items. Following the inventory there is a list of calculations and then a series of names under the heading "lo ke deven la gente / what people owe" mentioning: Shelomo Ayleon[?], Elaʾzar Istanbuli, Yaʿaqov Mitrani, and others. The fragment's verso is blank. MCD.

List in Judeo-Arabic related to the communal "chest / ארגז" of the Sephardim in Adar I [55]93 which is March 1833CE. The monetary figures are in eastern Arabic numerals that span two columns, one indicated by "ق" for silver kuruş and then another silver coinage listed generically as "פצה". The same list format appears on the verso, although a key word in the heading is "מקבוץ" which indicates incoming payments "received" or "obtained". On the verso, the name Yaʿaqov Portos is mentioned. MCD.

Accounts in Judaeo-Arabic of a wide array of purchases in the year [12]55AH which can be inferred by the usage of the Hijri months Sha'ban on the recto and [Dhu] al-Qa'da on the verso (which is 1839CE). The names of many involved in the purchases are listed such as: Ḥajj Aḥmed Silāmi, Ḥasan Aḥmed Minshāwi, Ḥasan Kerker[?] Bāsha, Mūsā Berakāt, and on the verso: Mikhail Bogros[?] and Ibrāhīm Borketli[?]. In the verso's thrid entry on the right there is mention of the Ottoman Turkish term "ruznama" or "ruznāme / רוזנאמה" which may be a register of daily financial transactions or, less likely, a calendar specifically for Hijri time-keeping. MCD.

List of names and corresponding monetary values in silver kuruş. Among those listed are: Yakov Qatawi, Yosef Bilobos, Yaʿaqov Akubas, David Dayyan, Nissim Ashkenazi, Moshe Naʿīm, Saʿad Zeytun, Yiṣḥaq Iskenderani, Ḥayyim Mosseri, and many others. The distinctive shape and tear of this bifolium, along with the paleography, confirm its status as a join to JRL SERIES C 86. Date: 18th or 19th c. MCD.

Accounts in Judaeo-Arabic that list a wide array of food and household items, possibly with their respective quantities and monetary valuations. The fragment is undated yet may originate in the 18th or 19th century. Among the items listed, from the recto there are: almonds, sugar, hummus[?] ("חומוץ"), beans, silk, lemon, and many other items on both sides of the fragment. MCD.

Literary text in Samaritan script and Arabic script.

Draft of the opening lines of a letter to the Nagid. Dating: Probably late 12th or early 13th century. The title al-Shaykh al-Makīn appears beneath. On verso there is a blessing for the holiday of Shavuʿot.

List of beneficiaries receiving clothing (jūkāniyya) via the local parnas Abū l-Faraj. Also mentions ʿAllūn al-Parnas. Information from JRL catalog.

Note in Arabic script, undeciphered. On the back of a fragment with Hebrew poetry.