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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 NS 297.242
Letter addressed to Abu l-Khayr(?) b. Ibrāhīm al-[...]. In Arabic script. Dating: 11th or 12th century. Nearly entirely preserved, except for the upper left corner of recto. The letter is a response to the addressee's inquiry about the news of the West (akhbār al-gharb). The first section begins, "As for al-Mahdiyya...." Mentions two ships, one belonging to ṣāḥib al-Mahdiyya (the same title is mentioned in CUL Or.1080 J258) and one to the Byzantines (al-Rūm). Spices (ṣaqaṭ) are selling well, unlike in Almeria. The second section: "As for Tripoli...." Mentions an item of news "which is not hidden from anybody" and "a certain Muslim man" who did something, "and this is the way of the Muslims." The sender then asks to be sent various goods, such as pepper, brazilwood, and rose water. Greetings to various people. Needs further examination.
Library: CUL
Type: Letter
