Geniza Lab

Autograph order in the hand of Avraham Maimonides. Mainly in Arabic script with some Hebrew script. Al-Ḥazzan al-Makīn (=Abū l-Majd?) is to give the bearer something for the holiday. There's a word that looks like ḥammām, which might be a cipher for 5 dirhams or 10 dirhams. On recto there is a small piece of a letter in Arabic script from Bū l-Faḍl (torn up and reused for this order). T-S K25.240 consists of small written orders, partly in Hebrew and partly in Arabic script, for monthly payments, made out of the rent-revenue from the pious foundation (waqf) 'Compound of the Poor' or from the pious foundation made by the physician al-Muhadhdhab. All dated orders are from spring and summer, 1218. (Information from Mediterranean Society, II, pp. 420-421, App. A 48-92; pp. 449-450, App. B 39b [dated 1210-1225]; Cohen, Poverty and Charity in the Jewish Community of Medieval Egypt, pp. 218-220)

Verso: Autograph order in the hand of Avraham Maimonides. Mainly in Arabic script with some Hebrew script. Abū l-Majd is to give the bearer [...] al-Ṭawwāf a sum of money. There's a word that looks like ḥammām, but this might be a cipher for 5 dirhams. Note that recto is a join with T-S K25.240.15. T-S K25.240 consists of small written orders, partly in Hebrew and partly in Arabic script, for monthly payments, made out of the rent-revenue from the pious foundation (waqf) 'Compound of the Poor' or from the pious foundation made by the physician al-Muhadhdhab. All dated orders are from spring and summer, 1218. (Information from Mediterranean Society, II, pp. 420-421, App. A 48-92; pp. 449-450, App. B 39b [dated 1210-1225]; Cohen, Poverty and Charity in the Jewish Community of Medieval Egypt, pp. 218-220)

Autograph order in the hand of Avraham Maimonides. In both Judaeo-Arabic and Arabic script. Abū l-Majd is to give a certain sum of money to somebody. Written on verso of a fragment of a letter that was addressed to Avraham. T-S K25.240 consists of small written orders, partly in Hebrew and partly in Arabic script, for monthly payments, made out of the rent-revenue from the pious foundation (waqf) 'Compound of the Poor' or from the pious foundation made by the physician al-Muhadhdhab. All dated orders are from spring and summer, 1218. (Information from Mediterranean Society, II, pp. 420-421, App. A 48-92; pp. 449-450, App. B 39b [dated 1210-1225]; Cohen, Poverty and Charity in the Jewish Community of Medieval Egypt, pp. 218-220)

Small scrap with ~2 words of Arabic script. T-S K25.240 consists of small written orders, partly in Hebrew and partly in Arabic script, for monthly payments, made out of the rent-revenue from the pious foundation (waqf) 'Compound of the Poor' or from the pious foundation made by the physician al-Muhadhdhab. All dated orders are from spring and summer, 1218. (Information from Mediterranean Society, II, pp. 420-421, App. A 48-92; pp. 449-450, App. B 39b [dated 1210-1225]; Cohen, Poverty and Charity in the Jewish Community of Medieval Egypt, pp. 218-220)

Verso: Autograph order from Avraham Maimonides. Abū l-Majd is to give the cantor Abū l-Ḥasan (=Yedutun ha-Levi?) 9 dirhams. T-S K25.240 consists of small written orders, partly in Hebrew and partly in Arabic script, for monthly payments, made out of the rent-revenue from the pious foundation (waqf) 'Compound of the Poor' or from the pious foundation made by the physician al-Muhadhdhab. All dated orders are from spring and summer, 1218. (Information from Mediterranean Society, II, pp. 420-421, App. A 48-92; pp. 449-450, App. B 39b [dated 1210-1225]; Cohen, Poverty and Charity in the Jewish Community of Medieval Egypt, pp. 218-220)

Autograph order from Avraham Maimonides. Abū l-Majd is to give the bearer (also named Abū l-Majd?) two dirhams for baking matza (khabīz faṭīr) for Passover. There is one line in Arabic script at the bottom. T-S K25.240 consists of small written orders, partly in Hebrew and partly in Arabic script, for monthly payments, made out of the rent-revenue from the pious foundation (waqf) 'Compound of the Poor' or from the pious foundation made by the physician al-Muhadhdhab. All dated orders are from spring and summer, 1218. (Information from Mediterranean Society, II, pp. 420-421, App. A 48-92; pp. 449-450, App. B 39b [dated 1210-1225]; Cohen, Poverty and Charity in the Jewish Community of Medieval Egypt, pp. 218-220)

Receipt relating to the tax farm of Abū l-Ḥasan b. Wahb written by Mīkhāʾīl b. ʿAbd al-Masīḥ, the cashier, and registered by the Office of Accounts on behalf of the Office of Supervision: the warehouse keeper has paid the sum of six and an eighth (dirham?) on behalf of Abū l-Ḥasan b. Wahb for the estates in Al-Fayyūm, under the supervision of the judge Ṯiqat al-Mulk Makīn al-Dawla wa-Amīnuhā, of the protégé of the commander of the faithful Abū l-Ḥasan ʿAlī b. Bahār, and the accountant Abū l-Sarī Theodor b. Yuḥannis. Dated: 3 Dhū l-Ḥijja 403 AH, which is June 1013 CE. (Information from CUDL)

Letter from Simḥa ha-Kohen, probably in Alexandria, to Abū l-Majd, probably in Fustat. In Judaeo-Arabic. Dating: Early 13th century. After many nice phrases, the body of the letter begins in line 19. Abū l-Rabīʿ al-Segan and Abū l-Munajjā had written to Simḥa regarding the payment of the remainder of the capitation tax and obtaining the barā'a/receipt and sending it quickly. Simḥa apologizes for the delay (there was an untrustworthy messenger, so he did not send it with him), but he has obtained the barā'a and is sending it enclosed with this letter/khidma. Regards to Abū l-Faraj Yeshuʿa ha-Talmid. Regards to Abū l-Maḥāsin al-ʿAṭṭār Iskandarānī. Abū l-Maḥāsin's barā'a has been sent to the shop of Abū l-Riḍā, Simḥa's brother in law, where Abū l-Maḥāsin can pick it up. Addressed (in Arabic script) to the shop of Abū l-Munajjā al-ʿAṭṭār, who is to pass it on to Abū l-Majd. (Information in part from Goitein's index card.)

Letter from a Ifrīqiyan merchant writing from Alexandria to Nahray b. Nissim (Fustat) in which the writer outlines his problems with the capitation tax and notes that after Nahray’s intervention he paid two dinars this year, which he would not have minded, if other had been treated in the same way. Furthermore, “the tax-gatherers (ḥushshār, “ralliers”) and the director of the jaliya are not to blamed; all this is entirely the work of the Jews.” The opening formulae of the letter is preceded by the basmala in Aramaic-Hebrew form: בשמך רחמנא כתאבי אטאל אללה בקא מולאי (In Your name, O Merciful One, my letter, may God prolong the life of my master). (Nahray, 118; S. D. Goitein, Mediterranean Society, 2:385, 611; and Esther-Miriam Wagner, “The Weakening of the Bourgeoisie,” in From a Sacred Source: Genizah Studies in Honour of Professor Stefan C. Reif,” ed. Ben Outhwaite and Siam Bhayro, Brill, 2010, 345-6) EMS

Letter/report/petition addressed to the Nagid Shemuel b. Ḥananya. Concerns Ḥāzim the tax rallier (ḥashshār) who was placed under house arrest (tarsīm) and relieved of his duties. Someone else took over his position, which was agreeable to the Jews of the area (aṣḥābnā) until the new administrator (ʿāmil) Abū l-Fakhr arrived, who began oppressing the Jews. A cantor known as al-Peʾer opposed him and was also fined or subjected to tarsīm. The next part is damaged, and the bottom part is missing.

Letter from Hillel b. Eli (identified based on handwriting) to Avraham al-Ḥemdat b. Natan ha-Sheviʿi. He complains of something to do with the tax (? mas). Needs examination. Information from Goitein's note card.

Letter from the French rabbi Shemuel b. Yaʿaqov addressed to Ḥananel b. Shemuel. In Hebrew. Contains a rich account of communal controversy and highly unflattering descriptions of Eliyyahu the Judge. See also AIU VII.E.169.

Three much damaged columns, containing about 60 names of male persons, all of low professions. The list contains no numbers and was obviously drawn up in connection with the payment of the capitation tax. (Information from Mediterranean Society, II, p. 453)

Three, much damaged columns, seemingly in the hand of the scribe of App. C 1, 2, containing about sixty names of male persons, recipients of alms. The first four are styled 'elder'; among the others: 4 dealers in olive oil, zayyat, 2 dyers, 2 packers, a cook, a gravedigger, a ghulam, servant or employee, of the (senior) Tustari brothers, all people of low professions. The list, which contains no numbers, was drawn up in connection with the payment of the capitation tax (Goitein) (Information from Mediterranean Society, II, p. 453, App. B 53 [dated 1040-1080]).

Order or report in multiple hands to do with 131 dīnārs paid to the treasury (bayt al-māl). Person mentioned is Saʿd al-Mulk Ilyās, possibly a tax collector, asking for the issuing of a decree (al-amr al-ʿalī). Check for joins.

State document. Accounts from the central fisc. Begins: waṣala ilā bayt al-māl al-maʿmūr.... Lower down refers to Mālik b. Ibrāhīm. In the bottom text block on recto, may refer to the capitation tax. At the bottom of recto there is a ṣalwala. There are registration mottos (ʿalāʾīm) on both recto and verso. Needs further examination. ASE & MR.

Recto: Bottom of a letter (official letter?) in Arabic script. Verso: Tax receipt issued by ʿArafāt(?) b. al-Naqīb the silk tax farmer (ḍāmin al-ḥarīr) to Abū l-Ḥasan the dyer (al-Ṣabbāgh) for a payment of 36 dirhams (for one year? li-shuhūr X).

Letter of petition from a man to a potential benefactor: 'I hereby inform you that I have been in good health, "concealed" among the people (mastūr bayn al-nās). Then when my hand became paralyzed (infalajat), I was left without a means of making a livin[g].' When capitation tax payment came he had to go into hiding in his house, and so he asks for assistance." Cohen, Poverty and Charity, 42-43. See also Goitein's note card. The writer has been hiding in the house for 55 days. Only Abu l-Fakhr the son of the judge and Ibn [...] al-Amshati have come to his aid, each one giving him 5 dirhems. He bribed the capitation tax collectors with 5 dirhems and already spent the other 5. He needs food. ASE.

Legal document dealing with a loan granted by Abū Naṣr Elʿazar b. Karmī Ibn Shabīb to Abū Manṣūr Elʿazar Ibn Zabqala. Dated: Tammuz 1543 Seleucid, which is 1232 CE. Same case as T-S Misc.25.2. Goitein originally described the borrower as a communal official and described the occasion of the loan as public expenses such as dues on the import of myrtles into Fustat. He later wrote, "The 62 Kāmilī fulūs were dirhems and not copper coins and were regarded as an equivalent of 9 Nāṣirī dirhems plus customs dues paid to the makkāsīn Miṣr, the customs officials of Fusṭāṭ. (I had read instead of mksyn - mrsyn, and translated consequently "myrtles"!). Thus, 62 Kāmilī fulūs do not correspond exactly to 9 Nāṣirī dirhems, but to a somewhat higher amount. The customs dues were paid for... anbāq ḥashīsha. Should we assume that in those days not only the leaves and stalks of the hemp, but also its berries were used as drugs?" (Information from Goitein's index cards, Mediterranean Society, I, p. 385, and S. D. Goitein, “Erratum to JESHO 8 [1965] on The Exchange Rate of Gold and Silver Money in Fatimid and Ayyubid Times,” Journal of the Economic and Social History of the Orient, vol. 12, no. 1 (January 1969), 112.) VMR. ASE. Join: Alan Elbaum.

Business letter from a father, probably in Alexandria, to a son, probably in Fustat. In Judaeo-Arabic. Fragment. Dating: Looks 12th century, but this is a guess. The writer explains that he cannot come because he is very ill (wajiʿ wajaʿin ṣaʿb) and has no energy (nahḍa) to 'enter' (Fustat). He has therefore sent Sulaymān on his behalf to collect his indigo that is with Abū l-Ḥasan. The son is to make sure that this happens, and if he wants to travel back with Sulaymān, all the better. After all, it is the end of the year, and the son has to pay his capitation tax in Alexandria. If the son does come, there is a list of items that he should bring with him. ASE.