Geniza Lab

Document in Arabic, perhaps a letter.

Fragment of a leaf of accounts in Arabic.

Recipes in Arabic, purpose unclear. One of them is attributed to al-Rāzī and al-Zahrāwī.

Late letter in Arabic. Needs further examination.

Recto: Letter/petition, or letter in the style of a brief petition, from "your student Bū l-Majd" to a high-ranking physician. In Arabic script. Dating: Probably ca. 13th century, based on format, typical name, and handwriting. The writer asks the addressee in formal terms to come visit him, because he has developed a pain in his leg. The door of the building is open. Verso: A few words in calligraphic Judaeo-Arabic, mostly "tajriba" repeated several times. ASE.

Recto: A brief note in Arabic addressed to David ben Naʿim and signed by [...] ʿUmar [...] Nāẓir al-Amwāl. There are also accounts/sums at the top of the page, naming Ḥasan al-Rashīdī as the party in some transaction, perhaps a rent (ujra) payment. The note is dated 7 April 1821 (4 Rajab 1236). The format is the same as AIU XII.106, from 6 months later, and involving different people. Verso: In Hebrew letters, presumably in the hand of David ben Naʿim or an assistant: "Ḥasan al-Rashidi" and "Rajab."

Arabic accounts.

A leaf completely filled with mostly unconnected Arabic letters. It does appear to say things once the letters are connected, but it would take a lot of effort to read it. Perhaps magical?

State document, unknown date. Fragment of an Arabic petition (to ". . . al-ʿālī al-mawlawī al-sulṭānī. . ."). The titles suggest a date in the late Fatimid, Ayyubid or Mamluk periods. There is a tiny piece of a printed Pentateuch either peeking through or affixed to the paper, suggesting a date of 15th century or later. But it also possible that the printed paper is completely unrelated.

Recto: Accounts in Arabic, mentioning Abū l-Futūh and a certain Yaʿqūb and almonds. Verso: A note in Arabic saying, "I have sent you some almonds."

Recto: Letter in Arabic to Hayyim al-Ṣarrāf (moneychanger/banker) in the High Diwan. The writer's name is difficult to read, as is the date, which may be 28 Shawwal 1076 = May 1666 CE. This receives some corroboration from the fact that the seal on verso bears the date 1073.

Late accounts in Arabic.

Badly damaged late letter in Arabic.

List or table in Arabic script, probably a private account. Needs further examination.

A curious text, mostly in Arabic, squeezed onto a torn scrap of paper, perhaps a prayer or a magical spell (or a vow?) regarding success in the coming year. Needs further examination, but legible parts of recto include: [...] ʿalā nafsī [...] annī lā [...] al-maḥḍar wa-l-tawqīʿ fī hādhī l-sana wa-{u}shhid ʿalā rūḥī khāliq al-samā wa-l-arḍ [...] wa-bihi astaʿīn. On verso, first in Arabic and then transcribed almost exactly into Judaeo-Arabic: "wa-yā sulaymān (?) [...] ʿalā mā taẓammanathu (=taḍammanathu) bāṭin hādhihi l-waraqa." Then, in Judaeo-Arabic only: "And I am Abū l-Ṭāhir."

Badly damaged late document in Arabic script, probably Arabic language, probably a letter. Needs further examination.

Recto: Last nine lines of a legal document in Arabic dated 555 AH, with the signatures of two witnesses. Verso: Accounts in Arabic mentioning units of weight (raṭl), with the names of various individuals, two of which are Hilāl b. al-Raṣṣāṣ and Abū l-Surūr b. al-Amshāṭī. Needs further examination.

Fragment of an Arabic debt acknowledgment (iqrār) by Mūsā b. Yehuda.

Many small fragments in Arabic.

Portion of an Arabic letter from Alexandria to Fusṭāṭ, probably to a family member. Most of what remains consists of greetings to people in the family and urging the recipient to write back with a full update and to address his/her letter to [...] al-ʿaṭṭārīn or to the market of silver/goldsmiths (sūq al-ṣāgha) to a particular Ṣayigh, so that it reaches the writer. The writer has the curious quirk of writing the sun letter twice instead of writing the definite article (e.g. في هذا تتدبير).