Geniza Lab

Letter from Mardūk b. Mūsā (Alexandria) to Yosef b. ʿEli Kohen Fāsī (Fustat), ca. 1065. In the hand of the sender’s son, Mūsā b. Mardūk. Mentions various wares, including rice, sugar, camphor water and regrets that previous letters by Yosef b. ʿEli Kohen Fāsī did not include more information about himself and the state of affairs in town. The recipient is requested to urge Nahray b. Nissim to conclude a purchase. (Information from Gil, Kingdom, Vol. 3, p. 803.)

Letter from Nahray b. Nissim from Busir to Farah b. Isma’il, Busir. Around 1053. Farah is in Busir, probably was sent there by Nahray, and purchases and packs the shipments there. The letter mentions details about shipping dinars for the purchase. (Information from Gil, Kingdom, Vol. 2, #256) VMR

Letter from Isma’il b. Salama al-Gazal, al-Bahnasa, to Nahray b. Nissim, Fustat. Dating: ca. 1051. Details about payments and business with local government officials in Upper Egypt. Mentions a stock of about 30 tons of grain. (Information from Gil, Kingdom, Vol. 4, #709.) VMR

Letter from Natan b. Nahray, in Alexandria, to Nahray b. Nissim, in Fustat, mentioning various commodities including flax. Dating: ca. 1064 CE. Also mentions a paper price. “My lord mentioned buying paper from the Segulat (= Mūsā b. Abī l-Ḥayy), or from someone else. I haven't found Andalusī paper in sufficient quantities, since my lord mentioned that he wanted it to copy (a book). The Segulat has only small quantities of Andalusī paper. But he has Shāmī paper, wide and large, for 8 dīnārs per ream; if it pleases my lord, I will acquire some for him.” Information from Gil.

Letter from Barhun b. Musa al-Tahirti, from Alexandria, to Nahray b. Nissim, Fustat. Around 1052. To be sent to the house of Ibn Isḥāq Ibrahim b. Isḥāq. Mentions shipments of crocus and some shipments by sea. Also mentions a manuscript of the book of Kings. (Information from Gil, Kingdom, Vol. 3, #342) VMR

Letter from Nahray b. Nissim, from Alexandria, to Yosef b. Eli Kohen Fasi, Fustat. Around 1055. Regarding trades of iron and coins, especially Byzantine dinar quarters. (Information from Gil, Kingdom, Vol. 2, #260) VMR

Letter from Efrayim b. Ismail al-Jawhari, probably from Alexandria, to Yosef b. Ya’aqov b. Awkal, Fustat. Summer 1030. The writer arranges shipments from and to Alexandria, especially deals with loading the ships. He informs that he receives a letter from the Maghreb that contains details about the merchandise’ prices in the Maghreb. Also mentions that the situation in Qayrawan is better and safer. (Information from Gil, Kingdom, Vol. 2, #183) VMR

Letter from Avraham b. Farrāḥ (Gil, on the basis of handwriting) from Alexandria to an unknown recipient, ca. 1055. Mentions various wares – raisins, clothes, pearls. The recipient is asked to help a certain Abū al-Ḥasan ʿAmmār b. Khallūf to purchase wares in Fustat. (Information from Gil, Kingdom, Vol. 3, p. 829.)

Fragment of a letter from Yisrael b. Natan, Jerusalem, probably to Nahray b. Nissim, Fustat. The letter deals with trades, especially of fabrics. Nahray is asked to urgently provide parchment in order for Israel to do his job. The last part is about Avraham b. ha-Gaon Shelomo b. Yehuda. (Information from Gil, Palestine, vol. 3, pp. 145-148, #472) VMR

Letter in the hand of Nahray b. Nissim. In Judaeo-Arabic The writer had paid 60+ dinars to gentiles to save Yeshaʿya al-Fāsī. He had asked the latter three years back to deliver the money to the Ra's al-Mathība in Jerusalem. Instead Yeshaʿya claimed that Nahray owed him money. Information from Goitein's note card. (NB: This was previously described as "Business letter by David b. Abi Zimra," which must belong to another unidentified shelfmark.)

Letter from Yosef b. Yeshua from Alexandria, to Yosef b. Ya’aqov b. Awkal, Fustat. The writer describes the situation in Alexandria before the shipping season starts. Writes that there is a large amount of merchants and of merchandise that are about to be shipped. Also mentions the prices in Alexandria. (Information from Gil, Kingdom, Vol. 2, #187) VMR. CUDL description: Business letter from Joseph b. Yeshuʿa (ישועא) al-Aṭrābulsī in Alexandria to Abū l-Faraj Joseph b. ʿAwkal. (Information from CUDL)

Business letter in Arabic script in which a father reports to his son on events in Alexandria and the arrival of the aṣḥāb, about which he's very excited. Reports as well on acquisition of dyed flax or linen and other textiles, and says there's no need to go to Palermo. (Information from Aodeh)

Letter from Isma’il b. Farah from Alexandria, to Nahray b. Nissim, Fustat. Around 1060. The letter deals with shipments of goods that arrived in Alexandria and have being sent to Fustat. Mentions difficulties in selling wax. Nahray sold Isma’il’s old wheat and bought new wheat for him. In Alexandria, they are expecting the first ships (the letter is from the beginning of Tamuz). Mentions details about ships that left the Maghreb but still on their way. (Information from Gil, Kingdom, Vol. 3, #497) VMR

Business letter in which the sender writes that he is concerned after meeting in Qus a business relation to whom he was able to sell three dinars worth of white linen while the buyer also paid him thirty-two dinars minus one fourth.

Recto, with the address on verso: Business letter addressed to Ḥalfon b. Netanel ha-Levi. In Arabic script. Dating: Before the beginning of 1136 CE. Concerning business in goods such as sal ammoniac and turpeth, and mentions a public auction (ḥalqa) several times. (Information in part from Aodeh; see also Hebrew description from Goitein and Friedman, India Book IV) Ḥalfon reused verso for a draft of a legal document (see separate record).

Account for the export of flax to Sicily. Around 1035. Also mentions camphor, textile, as well as details about payments. It seems like it is mainly deals with people in Tripoli, Libya. T-S J1.54, CUL Or.1080 J291, BL OR5554A.53-54r (Information from Gil, Kingdom, Vol. 2, #136) VMR

Account for the export of flax to Sicily. Around 1035. Also mentions camphor, textile, as well as details about payments. It seems like it is mainly deals with people in Tripoli, Libya. See Mosseri VIII,476.1. T-S J1.54, CUL Or.1080 J291, BL OR5554A.53-54r (Information from Gil, Kingdom, Vol. 2, #136) VMR

Letter from Nahray b. Nissim to Yosef ha-Kohen b. Eli Alfasi, Tyre. Around 1067. Abu Yaakov Yosef b. Eli ha-Kohen is on a ship on his way to , and he is based in Ramla. From there he is traveling to Tyre to receive a shipment from the port. Nahray sends him instructions and asks him about the business. The letter was written in Heshvan 13, and mentions an Islamic holiday that is coming soon. It is probably 10 in Du al-higa that was celebrated in October, 1066-1068. The letter mentions important details about exporting goods from . (Information from Gil, Palestine, vol. 3, pp. 271-276, #508). VMR

Draft of bills in the handwriting of Nahray b. Nissim.

Recto and verso: Letter. One of the small handful of Judaeo-Arabic papyri. Labeled "papyrus II" in the classification of Blau and Hopkins. Dating: Probably 9th century or earlier. Unlikely to have come from the Cairo Geniza; it is possible that most or all of these documents derive from a commercial circle in Ushmūn. This document is by far the most extensive and well-preserved Judaeo-Arabic papyrus known (at least this was true in 1987). It is also the first to have been discussed in print (in 1886/87). This is a letter from Yaʿaqov b. Yosef possibly to somebody named Yom Ṭov and/or to [Yose]f b. Menaḥem Shuqayr in the Jews' Market (Sūq al-Yahūd), possibly in Ḥawz Shuqayr ("the precinct of Shuqayr"). The addressee may be the father of the sender. The letter discusses numerous shipments of textiles and money. (Information in part from Blau and Hopkins and from Gil.)