Geniza Lab

Accounts of a grocer. In Arabic script. Recording what Abū l-Manṣūr al-Ḥaver purchased. The goods include eggplant, meat, turnip, leek, carrot, and garlic. Payments range from 1/4 dirham to 2 dirhams (for the meat). The other three pages of the bifolio contain Birkat ha-Mazon for weekdays.

Mysterious fragment containing a mixture of Arabic script, Judaeo-Arabic, and magical symbols. Dating: Perhaps 12th or 13th century. The Judaeo-Arabic is extremely cursive and reads in part: "By the Law! Not... from day to night... not carobs... not eggs, not cheese, not yogurt, [not] dates, not honey, not tahini, not cheese, not cabbage, not walnuts, not beans, not hazelnuts... as God is my witness... and return to me from it in health." The Arabic script is at least partially related, as it mentions some of the same foods.

List in Arabic containing foods including butter, good oil, saffron, mastic, saltwort (ushnān) and sesame, together with weights in raṭls and dirhams and, possibly, prices. Grocery list?

Bifolio from an account ledger in Judaeo-Arabic. Possibly accounts of a grocer, or grocery lists and other notes of a customer. Dated: There are entries for most of the days in the range Thursday, 14 Ramaḍān through Thursday, 28 Ramaḍān 433 AH = 7–21 May 1042 CE. Numerous foods are listed, e.g., eggplant, green almond, onion, mulūkhiyya, starch, cucumber (faqqūs), eggs, apple, herbs (baql), meat, 10 pounds of offal (buṭūn), "oiled pegs" (? awtād madhūna), and something called צֿעפי or קטוע אלצֿעפי. There are also some additional notes, including a boxed note on Friday the 15th which mentions going to the bathhouse; that the faqīh will spend something; and that "he said, until I write you a ruqʿa after the sabbath." On Sunday the 17th: "because Barakāt has not slaughtered."

Accounts in Judaeo-Arabic and Greek/Coptic numerals. In two different hands, with the two text blocks oriented at 180 degrees to each other. Apparently a Friday shopping list or accounts of a grocer (one small column is headed "expenditures," but the rest might be income/credits).

Note by Shelomo b. Eliyyahu addressed to Abū l-Rabīʿ (in the note) or Abū l-Barakāt (in the address on verso). Accompanying payment for rose marmalade. Shelomo apologizes and says he has been ill and is writing the note while lying down (or "(half-)asleep). (Information in part from CUDL.) ASE