Geniza Lab

Letter from Yeshu'a b. Yosef to Nahray b. Nissim.

Letter from Nahray b. Nissim (Misr) to Abu Ishaq Barhūn b. Salih at-Tahirti (Busir).

Letter from Natan b. Nahray, from Alexandria, to Nahray b. Nissim, Fustat. Probably 1063. Natan wrote the letter 10 days before Passover. The writer is upset because a deal (probably for spices and beads) did not go as expected. He blames Abu Zikri b. Menashshe. Also mentions a matter of inheritance in the Tahirti family. The writer’s son was sick and his sight was impaired. (Information from Gil, Kingdom, Vol. 3, #426) VMR

Letter from Ya’qūb b. Ismāʿīl al-Andalusī, Sicily, to Nahray b. Nissim, Fustat. Around 1065. Mentions cinnamon, silk and linen; Abū l-Surūr b. Avraham Ibn Sighmar; the ship of Abū Abdallāh (Ibn al-Baʿbāʿ); the demand for Byzantine coins; and the passing of the Jewish judge of Palermo Maṣliaḥ b. Eliyyahu. (Information from Gil, Kingdom, Vol. 3, #576) VMR

Letter from Salmān b. Dawud al-Barqi, probably from Tripoli, Libya, to Nahray b. Nissim, Fustat. Mentions beads and ships, but most of the letter is not clear. Around mid-eleventh century. (Information from Gil, Kingdom, vol. 4, pp. 517-519, #769). VMR

Letter from Nahray b. Nissim to Ayyash b. Sadaqa in Busir. Probably ca. 1050.

Letter from Yosef b. Yeshuʿa, in Tripoli (Syria), to Nahray b. Nissim. The letter mentions Nahray's pilgrimage to Jerusalem and shipments of emblic myrobalan and frankincense. A certain old woman has gone blind in one eye, and the other eye is in danger, so Yosef asks Nahray to send him tutty (zinc oxide) or whatever else might be beneficial.

Letter from Natan b. Nahray from Alexandria to Nahray b. Nissim in Fustat.

Letter from Natan b. Nahray from Alexandria to Nahray b. Nissim in Fustat.

Letter from Mūsā b. Abī l-Ḥayy, in Alexandria, to Nahray b. Nissim, in Fustat. In Judaeo-Arabic. Dating: November 28, 1062 (Udovitch). The writer recently returned from a long trip in Palestine. He suffered from illness during his trip. He visited Jerusalem, and had the time to manage trading, as he bought textile products, oil, nuts, and silk, and arranged shipments of coins. The writer also mentions the bad times in Egypt and the pressure that the community in Tripoli, Libya, is having because of the taxes. Goitein translation of the illness passage (r5–11), slightly altered, is as follows: "You have received no letter from me, because exhaustion (iltiyāth) did not leave my body from the very time I left. I arrived in Tyre, but was unable to do business there for more than five days and then remained confined to bed (lāzim al-farsh) for nineteen days. Finally God granted me recovery. I proceeded to Jaffa and from there went up to Jerusalem—may God rebuild it—and again I could not do there business for more than eight days and then was confined to bed (lāzim al-farsh), suffering from chills and fever (al-bard wa-l-ḥummā), during the month (of the High Holidays). By God I was unable to walk up the Mountain (of Olives) on the day of the Festival (21 Tishrei) but had to ride. I gave myself up. But God the exalted was merciful to me for the sake of His name and gave me health. I was able to leave the house, but the remnant of the weakness (or 'illness'; baqiyyat al-ḍuʿf) is still with me. The travel to Tinnīs, and from there home, was a great trial which to describe would take too much space. I praise God who turned the end to the good and brought me back in safety." Information from Goitein's note card (#27134) and Gil, Kingdom, Vol. 3, #449. VMR. ASE.

Account of goods sent by Nahray b. Nissim to Abu Ishaq Barhun b. Ishaq ha-Tahirti, ca. 1046. It begins with an account of the balance of what remained from the previous year, and then summarizes Nahray's business activities and the shipments he sent to Abu Ishaq in the last two years, including goods like pearls, beads, clothes, and fabrics. It seems like Nahray partnered with ha-Tahiriti in addition to working independently. (Information from Gil, Kingdom, Vol. 2, #273) VMR

Detailed accounts, written by Nahray b. Nissim, specifying private expenses as well as expenses of business done by the writer for Abu Ishaq Barhun b. Ishaq Tahirti. Dated 1046. (Gil, Kingdom, Vol. 2, 811)

Private account written by Nahray b. Nissim and one of his partners. Around 1059. Account for shipping wood from Egypt to the Maghreb via Mayadiya. Also mentions accounts about shipping varnish and buying flax. (Information from Gil, Kingdom, Vol. 2, #288) VMR

Letter from Yosef b. Farah from Alexandria to Nahray b. Nissim, Fustat. Around 1045. The writer wrote the letter in the Hebrew month of Iyar, before the sailing season is about to start and the merchants starting to negotiate the prices for shipments. Yosef wants to travel to Tripoli, Libya, but he needs to travel to Palermo before that. The writer adds a recommendation for Avon b. Ṣedaqa, from his town, Gabès (Qābis). (Information from Gil, Kingdom, Vol. 3, #509) VMR

Letter from Peraḥya b. Sahlān, Alexandria, to Nahray b. Nissim, Fustat. Around 1055. Regarding the request that Nahray will deal with selling goods that the writer sent to Fustat. (Information from Gil, Kingdom, Vol. 4, #779) VMR

Letter from Yeshua b. Isma’il al-Makhmuri from Alexandria to Nahray b. Nissim, Fustat. Around 1050. Information about shipments of goods. (Information from Gil, Kingdom, Vol. 3, #306) VMR

Business letter in Arabic script from the circle of Nahray b. Nissim, in Arabic script. Mentions the arrival of a certain Salmān, mentions al-Ashmunayn, Abū Yaʿqūb al-Ḥarīrī. Fragmentary and difficult to read.

Letter from Maymūn b. Khalfa, Palermo, to Nahray b. Nissim, Fustat. 18 August 1056 (Gil). Describes the movement of goods and ships to and from Sicily. The government of Sicily imposed on Jewish merchants in Palermo a customs import duty (ʿushr), normally imposed only on foreign merchants, because resident Jews cooperated with their foreign partners and declared incoming goods as their property. A judge and other Jews were sent to prison. The writer reproaches Nahray for his dealings with a resident of the island, Sulaymān b. Shaʾul. Also mentions "the ships (plural!) of Abū ʿAbdallah Ibn al-Baʿbāʿ:

Letter from Yaʿaqov b. Yosef b. Ismāʿīl al-Iṭrābulusi, Ascalon, to Nahray b. Nissim, Fustat. Circa 1060. Discusses the import and export of goods through Ascalon. (Information from Gil, Palestine, Vol. 3, p. 186.) The writer has been suffering from a severe case of ophthalmia (ramad), "but even so I have never neglected my correspondence (r6–7).

Letter from Yosef ha-Kohen b. Ḥalfon, al-Maḥalla, to Binyamin b. Yaʿaqov (who has a son named Yaʿaqov as well), Cairo. The writer reports that he spent only a couple days in al-Muʿizziyya (Cairo) and regrets not being able to pay his respects in person before he had to travel. The letter mainly consists of blessings, with a request at the end to forward the writer's question (legal query?) to Abū l-Maʿālī.