Geniza Lab

Letter from Alexandria to a merchant in Fustat. Around 1065. The letter contains a list of different goods’ prices. Mentions collecting debt in Adan, and persecution of merchants from Genoa in Alexandria. (Information from Gil, Kingdom, Vol. 4, #794) VMR

Letter from a certain Yosef, in Aden, to Yosef Ibn Shanju, in Fustat/Cairo. In Hebrew. Dating: Early 16th century, based on the greetings to Efrayim Karo (v28–29). The sender is reporting on his business affairs in Aden, where he arrived from "Tabor" in Egypt (apparently there is a location that sounds like this between Fuwwa and Rashīd). The merchandise he was expecting to receive from India never arrived. He is planning a trip to Calicut. He mentions two Jewish traders in Aden, Moshe Hakan and David al-Kehlado, who are involved in business with him in Calicut and Surat. There is another, Ibn Yaqar, who is active in the city of Berbera (in Somalia). Information from A. David's edition via FGP.

India Book 4 (Hebrew description below; English to come)

Letter from Abu Zikri Kohen, representative of the Merchants in Fustat, to Ḥalfon b. Netanel ha-Levi, in Aden. Dated: Adar I 1448 Seleucid = January/February 1134 CE. He writes that after Ḥalfon traveled to India and returned to Aden, the people in Egypt expected him to return home. But then merchants arrived in Egypt from Aden and reported that he was staying there. Previously Ḥalfon had deposited a quantity of pepper in Aden, which he had purchased for Abū Zikrī. He had already written to Maḥrūz b. Yaʿaqov concerning the prices of oriental goods in Egypt, and there was a similar list in the hands of the Egyptian merchant Abū Naṣr b. Avraham, who was then working in Aden. Abu Zikri urges Ḥalfon to buy goods in Aden and return to Egypt. However, if Ḥalfon wishes to return to India, Abu Zikri asks him to leave the pepper in the hands of Yosef b. Avraham, because this is already the third year that Abu Zikri cannot travel to Yemen. According to Abu Zikri, Ḥalfon's previous trip to India was unnecessary. Had he bought goods in Yemen and returned to Egypt in that year he would have made a good profit, for even the young and inexperienced merchants at that time in Egypt made immense profits from the goods they bought in Yemen. At the end of the letter, there are greetings to Ḥalfon from his family and the writer and a request to greet the important people of Aden and to help Abu Nasr b. Avraham. (Information from Goitein and Friedman, India Book IV; Hebrew description below.)

Letter from Ḥalfon b. Netanʾel ha-Levi, in Alexandria, to Yiṣḥaq Ibn ʿEzra, in Spain. In Judaeo-Arabic. The letter deals with the death of Ḥalfon's brother and other notables and the series of disasters that struck Ḥalfon and the community. Dating: probably January 1140 CE (though Goitein originally believed it to be 1129 CE, he later revised his dating and Friedman agrees). (Information from Goitein and Friedman, India Book IV.) Goitein summarizes the letters as follows: "A perfect picture of the influence of emotions on physical and mental health is found in the long letter written by the noble India trader Ḥalfon b. Netanel nine months after his return to Egypt from a long sojourn in Spain. As expected from a man like him, he dedicates the first twenty lines to the praise of his gracious and learned hosts, whom he so greatly missed. Then he goes on to bemoan one after another the disasters that disturbed his mind: civil war, anarchy, the high cost of living in Egypt, the death of the Head of the Jerusalem Academy (which then had its seat in Cairo) and of several luminaries of the Jewish spiritual and social upper crust; hardly had the months of mourning for those passed when Halfon's misfortune was topped by the demise of his eldest brother, who was the president of the Jewish High Court of Justice. He found himself unable to act, even to supervise the unloading of his goods, and let the perishables rot. During his long stay in Alexandria his body and soul never enjoyed full health, but he was also unable to bring himself to go up to Cairo: how could he visit the place vacated by his brother? Family and friends came down to Alexandria to induce him to return home, but he did not find in himself nahḍa, energy, to do so. For this reason, he was also not in a position to send to his friends in Spain (mostly physicians) the pharmaceutical plants promised, for these were to be had only in the capital (the terminal of the India trade), not in the Mediterranean port. Nor for the time being was he in a frame of mind to continue writing the learned discussions that were started during his sojourn in Spain. He concludes with a refined twist; he really did not want to send this letter but he was overcome by yearning for his Spanish friends, and asks them, considering his state of mind, to overlook his shortcomings in style and script (in that order)." (Goitein, Med Soc V, pp. 243–44.)

India Book I, 17: Letter from Yehuda Ibn Sighmar, at Alexandria, to Nahray b. Nissim, at Fustat, from the year 1097. The letter contains three parts: First, blessings over Nahray's recovery from illness. Second, a survey of the dealings between Yehuda and Nahray, the details of which remain unclear. Third, the lawsuit of Moshe b. Labrat, the nephew of Yehuda, against Yosef Lebdi. Yehuda, the writer of the letter, was the intended recipient of the gift that Moshe b. Labrat sent with Lebdi from the west. It is clear that this letter was written before the first court session was held.

Awaiting description

Letter from Yaʿaqov the physician, possibly in Granada, to Ḥalfon b. Netanel, in Almeria. Dating: 1138–39 CE. Same sender as T-S 13J17.22. The sender says that he assuages his longing for Ḥalfon by singing his praises in private and in public. This letter is primarily a recommendation for the poet Abū Ayyūb b. Sahl. Apparently the three men—Ḥalfon, Yaʿaqov, and Abū Ayyūb—had all been traveling companions until they parted ways in Almeria. After Abū Ayyūb returned to his hometown, he composed a panegyric for Ḥalfon. It was originally attached to this letter but has not survived (or at least not been found). Greetings to Yosef Ibn ʿEzra and Avraham b. Muʿṭī of Tilimsān. (Information from Goitein and Friedman, India Book IV; Hebrew description below.)

Letter from Avraham b. Ḥabīb, in Alexandria, to Abū Zikrī Kohen, in Fustat. In Judaeo-Arabic. Goitein's attached notes include discussions of how this letter was likely copied by a scribe (an unskilled and careless scribe, in his view). The letter opens with congratulations on the engagement of Abū Zikrī’s son, blessings for a successful wedding, and a request for confirmation of this happy news. It continues with the news that a Byzantine (Rūmī) ship arrived from al-Mahdiyya. The sender reports that all is well with the ship of Nājī. There is no news from the Maghrib except that Ibn Maymūn set out with 17 ships in the great wilderness(? maybe בר is an error for בחר, and this simply means Mediterranean). He hopes that the government's ships will arrive soon. He learned that the Byzantines plundered large sums of money from the Jewish traders when they arrived in Sicily. The victims who made it to Alexandria wish to receive a letter (or document? kitāb) from 'sayyidnā al-qāḍī' and go up with it to Cairo (seeking redress against the Byzantines?). See Goitein's attached notes for transcription and further discussion.

Diwan of the poetry of Yiṣḥaq b Khalfūn (active around 1000). There is a poem addressed to Abū l-Faraj Yehoshuaʿ Ibn al-Qamūdī; a poem addressed to Shemuel Ibn al-Lebdī (hence Goitein's inclusion of this fragment in the 'India Book'); a poem addressed to Abū Sulaymān, complaining about the delay of the response to his panegyric from Menashshe b. Ibrāhīm al-Qazzāz; a poem that he sent together with a Purim present; poems on generic themes (parting, elegy, praise); and a poem that he wrote to a friend who gave him some cheese instead of the wine that he had asked for. The identification of the poet was made by Schirmann. (Information in part from Goitein and Friedman, India Traders.) ASE

Letter from Shemuel b. Avraham al-Majjānī, probably in Aden, to (Abū Zikrī) Yehuda ha-Kohen b. Yosef, in Fustat. In Judaeo-Arabic. The writer has sent spices to the addressee with Abū Isḥāq b. Siwār al-Muslim. He asks him to sell them and give the proceeds to Abū Naṣr b. Elishaʿ, who should give 2 dinars to the writer's mother and the rest to his wife. He reports on the the aṣḥāb (Nahray and Ibn Nufayʿ and Ibn al-Yatīm and al-Fāsī and a Jew whom the writer did not know) who were traveling with ʿAlī al-Dībājī and speculates that perhaps they were detained in Dahlak, because they haven't caught up with the writer's party. He then crosses out that statement and writes above it, "they caught up with us the night of the mabīt (spending the night on board before sailing) to Aden." The writer wishes to travel on to al-Qaṣṣ (identified by Sebastian Prange as Bhadresvar in the Gulf of Kachh, in Gujarat—see Monsoon Islam, Table 4.1). When his ship had reached Bāb al-Mandab, the ruler (ṣāḥib) of Dahlak attacked the ship and plundered it, but let the merchants go. There is a postscript about smuggling Ibn al-Yatīm's coral through customs. ASE

Letter from Perahya b. Yosef in Mazara, Sicily, to Avraham b. Eliyyahu in al-Mahdiyya, inquiring about Perahya's uncle, Avraham Ibn Yiju and letter No. 68 (?). Dating: ca. 1151/2.

Letter from a mother in Aden to her son in Egypt.

The engagement contract of Abu Mansur, Semah b. Yefet, to Sitt al-Khassa in Fustat, 1146. Sitt al-Khassa was the daughter of Abu Barakat, son of Yosef Lebdi, the India trader. The groom deposited the very large early marriage gift of 40 dinars with a third party and promised the delayed marriage gift of 100 dinars. The bride received five shares (out of twenty four) of the house that used to belong to her grandfather, and half of her father's house. Moreover, 'the rent from her real estate will be in her hands, not in his hands, and she may deal with it as she sees fit.' She also is promised the right to choose the domicile. Her very large dowry amounts to 500 dinars (actually it adds up to 496 dinars), and it is stated that this sum was not exaggerated. The document begins with Bodl. MS Heb d 66 48r then continues to Bodl. MS d 66 47r and then to the latter's verso. Previous description: Engagement of Sitt al-Khāṣa bt. Abū l-Barakāt al-Lebdī and Ṣemaḥ al-ʿAṭṭār. In the hand of Natan b. Shemuel ha-Ḥaver. 11 November 1146. Information from Goitein's note card.

Letter from Yosef ha-Kohen b. Meshullam, in Aden, to Avraham Ibn Yiju, in inland Yemen, written around 1150-51.

India Book I, 6–7: Court proceedings dealing with the dispute between Yosef ha-Lebdi the India trader, and Yequtiʾel b. Moshe, 'the representative of merchants' in Fustat. This Monday morning session of the Fustat court followed immediately that of document no. I, 4-5 which was held on the preceding Thursday. In this session the questioning of Yosef Lebdi was concluded. The document is written in the hand of Hillel b. Eli. Dated: Monday, 8 Iyyar 1409 Seleucid, which is 12 April 1098 CE.

India Book I, 12: Court proceedings from Fustat dealing with the dispute between Yosef ha-Lebdi the India trader and Yequtiʾel b. Moshe, 'the representative of merchants' in Fustat. These are the proceedings of the eighth session. With no news from Aden, Yequtiʾel and Yosef came up with the idea of sending a man to Aden to fetch the disputed goods. After some discussion, however, the parties retracted their proposal. No signatures are attached to this deed. Dated: Dated: Wednesday, 18 Elul 1409 Seleucid, which is 18 August 1098 CE.

India Book I, 13: Draft of a letter from Yosef Lebdi, the India trader, to Ḥasan b. Bundar, 'the representative of merchants' in Aden, dealing with the dispute between Yosef ha-Lebdi and Yequtiʾel b. Moshe, 'the representative of merchants' in Fustat. This letter, as Lebdi makes clear, was composed under the instructions of the court of Fustat. Lebdi informs the recipient that the court has instructed him to write to Aden and request an official account, approved in court, of the dealings made with Yequtiʾel's share of the property. The letter can be dated to 1098 and was written in the hand of Hillel b. Eli. The letter begins in the verso of Bodl. MS Heb d 66/66 and then continues to Bodl. MS Heb d 66/67 (recto and then verso).

Letter from Yiṣḥaq Ibn Barukh, in Almeria, to Ḥalfon b. Netanel ha-Levi. Dated: Sunday, 29 Tammuz 4898 AM = 10 July 1138 CE. Concerning their joint business endeavors which are related to Yehuda ha-Levi as well. Ḥalfon had asked the writer to transfer 150 dinars to Yehuda ha-Levi, probably indicating that Yehuda ha-Levi invested in Ḥalfon's business. The sender will transfer the whole amount, when he receives it, to Yehuda b. Ghiyāth in Granada, who will transfer it to Yehuda ha-Levi. (Information from Goitein, 'Rabbi Yehuda ha-Levi in Spain in the light of the Geniza papers', Tarbiz, 24 (1955), pp. 136-137). VMR. See also India Book 4 (Hebrew description below).

Letter from Amram b. Yosef to Nahray b. Nissim inquiring about a letter sent to Aden Alexandria. Dating: 1094–97. ʿAmram has suffered from ophthalmia for one year and cannot find anyone to cure it. He excuses himself from coming in person to pay his respects to the Nagid and asks Nahray to represent him. ASE.