Geniza Lab

The first page is a letter in Italian from Venice, dated 4 May 1755 CE, mentioning Cairo and several names. The subsequent 8 pages are printed forms from the Alexandria firm of Levi, Molco, e Comp., which have been filled out with details of shipping contracts from the year 1755, also giving the name of the ships and their captains. 17 August (Livorno), 27 August (Livorno), 10 September (Venice), 25 September (Venice), 29 September (Venice), 17 June (Venice), 17 August (Livorno), 27 August (Livorno). Merits further examination

Late letter that begins in Hebrew and transitions into Judaeo-Arabic from an unidentified merchant to Yosef Muḥibb. He writes that he traveled this year to Tripoli (Libya?) to look for a Jew who took 100 peraḥim from him and fled to Venice. He was not successful. He has purchased garments and sent them with Saadya Kohen and Yaʿaqov b. Hīnī (also mentioned in ENA NS 50.25) to try to sell. Recto is damaged, but deals almost entirely with business matters. He mentions R. Yosef Nahon (?) who died after a year of being bedridden and consuming half of his wealth. In his will, he left 200 peraḥim for the study of Torah and for the visiting of the ill and for the poor. The writer also mentions the addressee's brother Khubayr, his own nephew Yosef, and Shelomo Abulafia. The addressee's sister Maḥbūba sends her regards and urges him to take care of their other sister and find a husband for her. On verso he returns to business matters and requests a Cypriot commodity (קוברסי/קוברסיין) and orders tin (קזדיר) from a place called גמאע אלטיילון. He mentions Yaʿaqov Bū Saʿda and David al-Ashqar. ASE.

Late family/business letter in Hebrew signed by Yehuda Duran, mentioning goods sent from Fustat/Cairo to Venice, and discussing several female family members. The writer asks particularly about Ṣulṭāna bt. Yūsuf Abū l-Khayr.

Letter in Hebrew (peppered with Arabic, Turkish, and Italian), addressed to two unnamed merchants (one the uncle of the writer), written almost certainly in Alexandria in the mid-16th-century. The writer reports on the violent reception of European ships in the port of Alexandria, acts taken in retaliation for the commandeering of an Egyptian merchant ship in Messina (Sicily). "This very morning the Cavus Bashi arrived and boarded the Venetian galleon that arrived from Crete ("Candia"). He took the sailors prisoner with their captain, and is now bringing them to Fustat/Cairo with 30 janissaries from the tower [their barracks in Alexandria?]. If Andrea di Orio had come with his ships, or Cicala the privateer (ha-sholel) with his ship, they would not have treated them thus." The Alexandrian authorities apparently cut the anchors of multiple other European ships and damaged the docks (? האסקאלה = escala, from Italian), causing frenzy and terror among the capains (patrones) to be separated from their ships which are now loose at sea. The writer insists that a Venetian ship coming from Crete and carrying the flag ("banderia") of San Marcos (called עון מארקו = Sin Marcos, to avoid using the word San) does not engage in acts of piracy and should not be treated thus. The reason is that ʿAlī Numayr al-Rashīdī arrived last week with a letter for the governor (sanjak), informing him that his ship had been commandeered in Messina, even after he had received a promise of safe passage (al-amān). The writer strongly suggests that the recipients approach the consul, who should write immediately to Messina and command ʿAli Numayr's ship to be restored, otherwise the Basha will know how to treat these Venetian prisoners, and the situation will be terrible for all further ships arriving from Messina. There are two or three Florentine captains who are now desperate to get out of Alexandria since their business is in Messina. However, the recipients should not repeat exactly what ʿAli Numayr said to the consul or to the other merchants, because he was lying. There was no promise of safe passage at all. Rather, the Muslims accidentally docked somewhere in the territory of Syracuse in the dead of night, thinking they were in al-Mahdiyya (Tunisia). When the bells (ha-campanacci) started ringing in the morning, they realized they were in a Christian port and scrambled to escape. Their ship foundered on some rocks, and they were taken captive by a few small boats from the tower of Syracuse. All this is known because a ship arrived in Alexandria with 20 Messinan prisoners, who recounted that the ship was taken in Syracuse, not Messina. The writer appeals to the recipients to act quickly to solve this problem and to send him word. He has detained two ships that were about to depart from Abu Qir for Crete, until he hears word, because he does not want word of these events to reach Europe and deter the usual trading ships from coming to Alexandria this year. The writer then transitions into business matters, mentioning intelligence he has received in a letter from Messer Giacomo and in a letter to someone named Aran. The addressees are to buy as much pepper as they can, for the ships coming from Livorno and Messina are not expected to have much. Likewise with ginger: the fresh ginger has all been sold in Europe, so the arriving ships are going to want more, but they will only want it fresh—it must not be rotten at all. The writer also mentions spices, flax, and skins. No ships from France are expected this year, but the ships from Livorno and Messina will purchase goods to send them on to France. "I have told you many times that Cassia fistula (khiyār shanbar) is in high demand in all of Europe, but you have not listened." The writer then mentions the addressee's partnership with Moshe b. Shoshan. Walnuts are in high demand in Venice. The writer has been dealing with a merchant from Ragusa (Dubrovnik) who tells him that after these events in Alexandria, even if he were to receive the weight of all his merchandise in gold, he would not come back to Alexandria, and no European merchant will want to come again after this; all those in Alexandria at present are intending to leave. This Ragusan intended to come and live there for 3 years, but he now plans to get out. The writer concludes by urging the addressees to act quickly, and to remember to buy up lots of fresh ginger and flax. Information mostly from Avraham David's edition and notes. ASE.

Legal: partnership agreement. Dated: Thursday, 10 Kislev 5319 AM (חושה), which is 1558/59 CE.The partners Yehuda Castro and Namir Viryuti (? וריוטי) enter into a partnership for selling (ostrich) feathers (נוצה) in Venice. Namir has obtained 140 raṭls of feathers, and Yehuda has shipped them to Venice for the price of 116 gold Venetian ducats and 24.5 medins, apart from the costs of shipping and customs. Yehuda is to receive 3/4 of the profits and Namir 1/4. Information from Avraham David's edition on FGP.

Ledger of accounts, late, of a Venetian merchant.

Birth records. In Italian and Hebrew. Location: Venice. First document: Dated: Sunday, 1 Sivan, 5536 AM, which is to 19 May 1776 CE. "There was born to my daughter Sara/Sareta a daughter, and she was given the name Stella." There is a crossed-out line beginning "esborsato à. . ." on verso. Second document: Dated: Friday night, 20 Elul 5538 AM, which is 12 September 1778 CE. There was born to YIsra'el/Israel [...] a daughter, and she was given the name Rachel. The Italian portion gives the year 1779 CE, but this seems to be erroneous, as this would not match the Hebrew date or the day of the week. The second document was reused two weeks later for a lotto ticket on verso. "1778. In Venezia 26 Settembre. Pagherò coll'augumento Ducati come sotto per ogni Terno estratti di seguenti. Terno: Duecento. 520 Cattarina Scatola. 579 Maria Belotto. 588 Laura Meneguzzi." There is then a stamp of a lion roaring out a word starting with "OS. . ."

Deed, commercial, attesting to Alexandria's importance in international trade. The document mentions traders from Venice and Constantinople, as well as Sicilian coins. Apparently the deed is from the beginning of the twelfth century, to judge by the names, which appear in documents from the circle of Nahray b. Nissim. The document also contains an important report on a dispute between people from the Maghrib and local Alexandrians, headed by the Alexandrian Ben Nahum family. (Information from Frenkel. See also Goitein, Med. Soc. 3:159)

Letter, fragment (lower left corner), from Shalom b. Sīd. In Hebrew. Dating: First half of the 16th century. The writer reports on business progress to his employer or partner. He mentions Yaʿaqov Shānjī in line 6 and a Venetian ship in line 7. Information from Avraham David's edition on FGP.

Business letter in Judaeo-Arabic. Sephardi hand. Small fragment. Dating: Perhaps 15th or 16th century, but that is a guess. Mentions Christians, Venice, an ounce of something, sieving something (yugharbiluhu).

Recto: Excerpts from Ecclesiastes. Verso: A list of books that the writer was asked to prepare (or obtain?) for somebody. The Talmud, printed in Salonica "with Venice." The Rif and the Rambam. . . ʿAyn Yaʿaqov. . . Sefer ha-Tapuaḥ. . . Mashal ha-Qadmoni. . . Tiqqunei ha-Zohar with Shaʿarei Orah. . . Yalquṭ with the commentary of Gedalyah. And others.

Account register of Yiṣḥaq b. Yeḥiel, a dealer in carpets (tappeti = טפיטי, טאפיטי) as well as numerous other luxury commodities (nuts, drugs/perfumes, sugar from Crete, books, and more). In Hebrew, with many words in Judaeo-Italian and several phrases in Yiddish. Notably, there does not appear to be any Judaeo-Arabic. Location: Probably Fustat/Cairo (Miṣrayim). 3 bifolia. Dated: spring of 5310 AM, which is 1550 CE. Currencies: peraḥim, muayyadi (medin). The merchant makes purchases from various craftsmen (חרשים) in places like Venice, קאפרה, and אכיין. Very rich with details on 16th-century trans-Mediterranean trade, networks of merchants, demand for specific books, and more. The identification of the merchant's name is based on a letter that he sent earlier in the year 5310 AM (fall of 1549 CE): Moss. IIIa,9 + T-S AS 212.54–55 + T-S AS 214.40. Information in part from Avraham David's publications.

Letter from Rachel b. Avraham Zussman, in Jerusalem, to Yaʿaqov Katz, in Venice. In Yiddish. Dated: 16 Heshvan 5327 AM, which is November 1566 CE. Sent via Rachel's son Moshe in Cairo, who evidently never forwarded it to Venice.

Late Hebrew letter mentioning the consul of Venice.

Frontispiece of the Torah printed in Venice by Giovanni Colleoni, 1627 CE. Contains an ownership note: Eliyya Fayrūz.