Geniza Lab

Letter from Yosef b. Farrah in Busir to Nahray b. Nissim in Fustat, c. 1055 CE.

Letter from Yehuda b. Simḥa, in Alexandria, to Nahray b. Nissim, in Fustat. Dating: ca. 1050 CE. The writer trades in pearls and coral. He asks Nahray to sell one of his shipments. He writes that when he imported pearls, through Spanish merchants he had to pay heavy taxes. (Information from Gil, Kingdom, vol. 4, pp. 386-387, #729). VMR. Note that Gil identifies the sender as Yosef b. Yehuda b. Simḥa, who also sent ENA 3793.6. This is possible, but the word "Yosef" is not preserved on this fragment, and the hands do not seem to be identical. ASE

Left part of a letter from Nahray b. Nissim, who also wrote the letter enquiring about commercial matters and conveying greetings. Ca. 1055.

Fragment of a letter from Nahray b. Nissim, probably to Busir to an unknown addressee. Around 1055. Mentions several products and sends greetings, including to the people who were involved in buying flax. Verso contains illegible lists in the hand of al-Tahirti (Information from Gil, Kingdom, Vol. 2, #259) VMR

List of transportation expenses by Nahray b. Nissim, around 1045. Includes details about different types of payment for transporting goods from Fustat to Alexandria and loading them onto the ships. Several ships are known from Ibn Awkal’s accounts. (Information from Gil, Kingdom, Vol. 2, #270) VMR

List of transportation expenses by Nahray b. Nissim, around 1045. Includes details about shipment from Fustat to the ship in Alexandria. Similar to T-S Arabic 30.123, this time the shipment is of varnish. (Information from Gil, Kingdom, Vol. 2, #271) VMR

Private account written by Nahray b. Nissim, about his partnership with Barhun and Yosef b. Musa ha-Tahirti. 1059. They sent different merchandise to the Maghreb including flax, camphor, ruby and other products. Details about the dinars that they received for the goods. The accounts are for three years, 1056-1058. (Information from Gil, Kingdom, Vol. 2, #287) VMR

Private account written by Nahray b. Nissim. Dating: ca. 1055. Details about business with Abū Sahl ha-Kohen (probably Menashshe ha-Kohen b. Avraham) as well as with Abu ʿAlī ha-Kohen. Mentions different amounts of money, including dirhams of the expensive type which contain a large amount of silver called 'nuqra.' (Information from Gil, Kingdom, Vol. 2, #280) VMR

Private account by Nahray b. Nissim. Around 1045. Mentions shipments, probably of flax, types of cloths and fabrics. (Information from Gil, Kingdom, Vol. 2, #269) VMR

Court record in Arabic script, likely a draft. Concerning the inheritance of the late Sittāt bt. ʿAbdallāh. This document was probably drawn up in North Africa, based on paleographic considerations as well as the fact that verso was reused for the address of a letter from Nahray b. Natan to his cousin (ibn ʿamma) Nahray b. Nissim (who was originally from Qayrawān). The three lines at the bottom of recto are written in a different hand than the main document. The document contains an interesting glimpse into judicial archiving practices: "Subsequently the judge died and another judge assumed office. He examined the archive (dīwān) of the deceased (judge) and found that the money had been registered in it (l. 11). (Information from Goitein's index cards and from Khan.)

Recto, with address on verso: Letter of appeal. In Judaeo-Arabic. From a certain Yiṣḥaq, in Malīj, to a certain Nissim, probably in Fustat. Goitein identifies the addressee as Nissim b. Nahray b. Nissim. Dated: ca. 1090 CE, per Goitein. The sender is in great distress ("the knife has reached the bone") and has no clothing to wear, on Shabbat or otherwise. Efrayim suggested to the sender that the addressee could get him a letter from the Rav (whom Goitein identifies as Nahray b. Nissim) and from the Nasi (whom Goitein identifies as David b. Daniel), recommending collections to be arranged on behalf of the petitioner in al-Maḥalla and Alexandria. (Information from Mediterranean Society, II, p. 508.)

Private account written by Nahray b. Nissim. Around 1060. Detailed lists about buying flax in several villages, shipping them to the Nile, preserving them, and paying the authorities. (Information from Gil, Kingdom, Vol. 2, #299) VMR

Private accounts written by Nahray b. Nissim. Around 1058. Details about expenses. Mentions books. (Information from Gil, Kingdom, Vol. 2, #286) VMR

Private account written by Nahray b. Nissim. 1065. Details about trading pearls. Mentions partnership with Nahray’s circle of friends. (Information from Gil, Kingdom, Vol. 2, #296) VMR

Letter from Shemaʿya ha-Ḥaver, Jerusalem, to Nahray b. Nissim, Fustat. Around 1053. The writer informs that he is in Jerusalem and is praying for Nahray at the Temple Mount and the Olives Mountain. He asks to pass a letter to the banker Mevorah b.David. Also mentions Avraham ha-Ḥaver b. Amram. (Information from Gil, Palestine, vol. 3, pp. 306-308, #519). VMR

Letter to Nahray b. Nissim. (Information from CUDL)

Letter to Nahray b. Nissim. (Information from CUDL)

Letter from Yūsuf b. Mūsā al-Tāhartī, to Yeshuaʿ b. Ismāʿīl al-Makhmūrī (according to Gil) or to Nahray b. Nissim (Ben-Sasson) in Fustat. Mentions Abū Ibrāhīm (Isḥāq) b. Khalaf, who had written to tell al-Tāhartī that he had sent a pouch containing 500 rubāʿiyya (quarter-dinars) in Ibn al-Baʿbāʿ's ship (r, II. 10–11); also mentions details of maritime transport to and from the Maghreb, a ship accident, and the security and government situation in Sicily, whereas by contrast al-Mahdiyya under Tamīm b. Muʿizz is safe. Dated end of Shevaṭ; Gil notes that the same events are discussed in T-S 16.163, which is dated 8 Elul and mentions the year 453H, and so dates this letter to February 2, 1063. T-S 13J23.18 is the lower part; the upper part (lines 1-4) is T-S AS 145.81. (Information from Gil and Ben-Sasson)

Fragment of a letter from Menashshe, maybe to Nahray b. Nissim. Around 1063. Only the write’s first name in known. (Information from Gil, Kingdom, Vol. 4, #759) VMR

Letter from Menashshe to Nahray b. Nissim. Dating: ca. 1063. Menashshe warns Nahray that Uqban (b. Salman) who passed away has a daughter, and this has to be taken into consideration in regard to his estate. (Information from Gil, Kingdom, Vol. 4, #760) VMR