Note: This database is re-populated every day at midnight, Eastern Standard Time. Information in this database may become unavalable for approximately 10 minutes while this process completes.
Regular expressions
The Princeton Geniza Project database allows for search expressions containing certain 'regular expressions'. Regular expressions are codes that can be inserted in search queries to match patterns of text.
| ^string | Matches the text at the beginning of the string |
| string$ | Matches the text at the end of the string |
| . | Matches any single character (including special characters) |
| a* | Matches the sequence of zero or more of the specified character |
| a+ | Matches the sequence of one or more of the specified character |
| a? | Matches zero or one occurrence of the specified character |
| abc|def | Matches either one of the specified strings |
| [abc] | Matches any one of the specified characters |
Boolean Search
The Princeton Geniza Project database uses a boolean full-text search. This type of search allows users to combine keywords with operators to refine searches. Possible operators and examples of their use:
| מולאנא מולאי | Search for rows that contain either of two words by simply typing them consecutively. In this case, the search will find documents that contain either מולאי or מולאנא. |
| כתאבי +מולאי+ | Use a + sign before word to search for rows that contain all of them (in this case the words כתאבי and מולאי) |
| כתאבי AND מולאי כתאבי OR מולאי | The keyword AND indicates that both search terms must be present in the results. OR matches either search term. |
| כתאב –כתאבה | Use a - sign to exclude a term from your results (in this case, the search will include כתאב but exclude כתאבה) |
| *כתאב ?כתאב |
Use an asterisk or a question mark as a wildcard. An asterix matches any number of characters. A question mark matches any single character |
T-S 12.785
Letter in Judaeo-Arabic. The sender is in Fustat, writing with four days remaining in the month of Tamuz. Dating: Likely 12th or early 13th century. The first 13 lines are formulaic greetings. He then informs the addressee that Abū l-Faraj Hibatallāh has started to study Mishna and Talmud with him. He effusively praises Abū l-Faraj's intelligence, diligence, and desire for knowledge ("which has filled my heart with joy"). The sender wants the addressee to help this young man "gain learning in a state of purity." He cites a talmudic saying, but the letter is damaged here. When the text resumes, he is discussing the rabbis' commentary on Jeremiah 29:6 (וְאֶת בְּנוֹתֵיכֶם תְּנוּ לַאֲנָשִׁים) and urging the addressee to fulfill this commandment—so maybe this is a letter on behalf of Abu l-Faraj seeking the addressee's daughter's hand in marriage. He then mentions the love between himself and Ibn al-Kuttābī. He concludes with greetings, including from his son Abū Saʿd. The lack of address combined with the fact that this was written in Fustat suggests that it was never sent. AA. ASE.
Library: CUL
Type: Letter
