Geniza Lab

Letter from Yaʿqūb b. Salmān al-Ḥarīrī, Tripoli (Lebanon), to Nahrāy b. Nissīm, Fusṭāṭ. Commodities mentioned are wheat, figs, and cotton. According to Goitein's estimate, this letter was written exactly seven weeks before the letter T-S 8j19.27, which would be approximately 458-459/1066 (Goitein, Letters from Medieval Jewish traders, pg. 46, footnote #2). This was the time when Egypt was ravaged by a massive famine (shidda ʿuzma) and traders were eager to secure whatever victuals they could procure for their families and friends; "You know the times we are in, do not delay, these are difficult times". YU

Letter from Yaʿqūb b. Salmān al-Ḥarīrī, in Ramla, to Nahray b. Nissim, in Fusṭāṭ. In Judaeo-Arabic, with the address in both Judaeo-Arabic and Arabic script. Dating: ca. 1066 CE, according to Goitein's estimate. In some respects it is a standard mercantile letter, mentioning various commodities and prices. The sender also mentions being caught in a storm while sailing from Jaffa, the port of Ramla. He asks about the price of wheat and bread in Fusṭāṭ, as it was ravaged by the massive famine (1062–70) and asks about the state of his father and family during these trying times. This letter shows that trade continued even during the famine years. (Information from Goitein, Letters of Medieval Jewish Traders, p. 45.) YU