Geniza Lab

Legal document. Marriage agreement in the hand of Yosef b. Moshe, son and assistant of the provincial judge. The agreement is a tawqīm ("estimate") of the trousseaux for the bride, Sitt al-Suʿada ("Mistress over the Happy Ones"). The groom approved of the evaluation of the tawqīm of the dowry and took on the responsibility of keeping the items safe. The items listed include twelve items of gold and silver jewelry, thirty-four articles of clothing, four pieces of bedding, and thirteen copper items and other household goods, totaling 145 dinars. The verso contains two statements, one by the father of the bride stating that the dowry has been given to the bride as her exclusive irrevocable property, and one by the groom stating he would be responsible for the care of these items as his "iron sheep," i.e. something which he would need to return in full in the event of divorce. The judge had a preference for obtaining explicit acknowledgement of the contents of the document in simple Arabic in order to ensure everyone understood and was in agreement. This was because the official Rabbinate marriage contract, which also listed these details, would be in formulaic Aramaic. This would be further reiterated by T-S 10J21.13, another document which outlines the groom's acceptance of the estimate. (Information Goitein's index card and Mediterranean Society)