Geniza Lab

List of 136 households (mostly women with, or without, children, foreigners, disabled and indigent people) receiving approximately 570 loaves of bread. A postscript in Arabic characters (verso, line 9) states that the whole document was written by Efrayim b. Mahfuz (i.e., Shemarya), the well-known leader of the Jewish community of Fustat during most of the first half of the eleventh century. It was witnessed by Isma'il (i.e., Shemuel) b. Talyon (i.e., Avtaliyon), a prominent member of the Palestinian congregation, and two others. Efrayim and Shemuel signed many documents together in the years 1026-1029. (Information from Mediterranean Society, II, p. 439, App. B 1, dated 1020-1040)

Verso: List of names with numbers, distributions to individuals, followed, in another hand, by a list of arṭāl of some beverages (speficially: syrups/ashriba, including of quince/safarjal). MRC. ASE.

A, b, and c of this folded piece of paper contain List. 'Distribution of money and clothing,' superscribed 'The rest through Abu'l-Bayan' (the parnas). Since this heading is not followed by a sum, it does not represent the balance of an account, but indicates that one or more preceding distributions were carried out by other officials. Nine persons receive 5 (dirhams), eight, 3, and one, 2, altogether 18 recipients, all women, except for 3--2 of whom are characterized as foreigners. Verso, four distributions of a muqaddar (an item of clothing; three to male persons) and four of a jukhaniyya. Among the recipients a freedwoman and 'the orphans' of one household. In the handwriting of Shemuel b. Saadya, who wrote in the margin an item of another type dated Tishri (Sept.-Oct.), 1183. 14c, ll.5-6 are in the different handwriting of the man, Elazar b. Michael, who wrote this confirmatory note. Entries marked with an asterisk have a wavy line above them, at the beginning, resembling a sine curve, perhaps meaning 'claimed' one entry on 14b is overlined, meaning deleted.

A, b, and c of this folded piece of paper contain List. 'Distribution of money and clothing,' superscribed 'The rest through Abu'l-Bayan' (the parnas). Since this heading ais not followed by a sum, it does not represent the balance of an account, but indicates that one or more preceding distributions were carried out by other officials. Nine persons receive 5 (dirhams), eight, 3, and one, 2, altogether 18 recipients, all women, except for 3--2 of whom are characterized as foreigners. Verso, four distributions of a muqaddar (an item of clothing; three to male persons) and four of a jukhaniyya. Among the recipients a freedwoman and 'the orphans' of one household. In the handwriting of Shemuel b. Saadya, who wrote in the margin an item of another type dated Tishri (Sept.-Oct.), 1183. 14c, ll.5-6 are in the different handwriting of the man, Elazar b. Michael, who wrote this confirmatory note. Entries marked with an asterisk have a wavy line above them, at the beginning, resembling a sine curve, perhaps meaning 'claimed' one entry on 14b is overlined, meaning deleted

Verso: List of "those who have not received their share" (al-bāqiyyīn bi-lā akhdh), i.e., in the distribution of wheat. Dating: Probably 1215–40 CE, based on Goitein's assessment and the date of the document on recto. There are three lists. I. Parties receiving wheat. II.Twelve parties (of whom at least six are repeated from list I) getting sums, mostly of 2.5 or 5 (dirhams). III. Names without any explanation added, some identical with those in the list T-S NS J440. The neglected people listed were mostly outsiders, either foreigners (Rum/Byzantium, Persia, Jerusalem, Barqa, etc.) or from Egypt itself (Alexandria, al-Mahalla, Minyat Ghamr, Benha, Damira, Dakarnas). The overlinings may mean these persons have now received, which would explain the fact that mostly it is the same names above and below that are overlined. (Information from Mediterranean Society, II, pp. 462–63, App. B 85.)

Two lists in an unusually large cursive script with a postscript in another, small and neat script. a) The superscription 'I[n Your] N[ame]' shows that this is the first list. It is followed by 'Those who have not yet received their share' (and are receiving it now, as is proved by the second list. b) 'Expended on...' (illegible perhaps referring to the holiday concerned). In five places dr, dirham, is added after the numerals, but dirhams are intended throughout, since the postscript actually has lil-ruqa'i, 'to the trader of orders of payments,' the banker with whom the community used to deal and who was prepared to accept these orders. The numerals in the postscript are Coptic, but conform with the Hebrew numerals in the main list, as far as preserved: 19 households receive 73~ dirhams. A number of characteristic names are identical with those occurring in B 17-24. Note specifically: a European (ifranji) who lives in the synagogue--2...a poor young man who arrived in the evening and whose overcoat, kisa, was taken from him as a collateral for 5 dirhams; his name is Abu al-Muna, he is sick; Mu'ammala ('the one hoped for'), a widow of good family, who never in her life had taken anything from anyone--5. The whole seems to be a distribution of money, probably before a holiday, in a time of severe hardship, when the community had not enough means, and about fifty families had to wait for their shares. Even then about one-third received their allocations in orders of payments--and we do not know how much the ruqai charged for converting them into cash. (Information from Mediterranean Society, II, pp. 456-457, App. B 65, dated 1100-1140).

Important list of beneficiaries, containing names and sums of money. (Information from Goitein's index cards)

Two lists similar to T-S K15, fols. 5, 15, 39, 50, written by the same scribe and having mostly same names; one of the lists dated Friday Marheshvan 14. Has a special section for the Rum (Europeans) (42 persons). The second total at the bottom of col. II represents the addition of 4 loaves resulting from changes in three allocations in the list. Ca. 1107. (Information from Mediterranean Society, II, p. 443, App. B 23)

Distribution of wheat to Europeans, altogether 49 households including households consisting of only one person. First item: 'The proselyte--3; his female slave Mubaraka--1/2 wayba.' (Information from Mediterranean Society, II, p. 444, App. B 26, dated 1100-1140)

Nine entries, names of recipients of alms, on vellum in huge calligraphic letters, such as 'two freed women, two persons from Hijaz, two from Sahrajt [Egypt], the daughter of Mishael,' accompanied by numbers ranging from one to six. (Information from Mediterranean Society, II p. 442, App. B 10, dated 1040-1060)

Two lists of recipients of clothing, in two different scripts, the first part, extending from col.I, l. 1, to col. II, l. 14, the second from col. II, l. 15, to col. IV, l. 21. At least half of the recipients were women. Four names recur in both lists, meaning that two different distributions are recorded here. Details about 44 plus 37 households are recorded, but the leaf, which is folded to form a booklet of four pages, is superscribed 'Leaf no. 3', so that the total number of persons listed originally might have been not 81, but three times as many. It is not excluded that this one and Appendix B 33 and 64 originally formed one document. Abu al-Faraj the parnas is in charge of the the second distribution (which was made in two steps, col. II, l. 15; col. IV, l. 6), is listed as recipient of a thawb, or gown, in the first distribution (col. I, l. 20 [read: 10]), where, however, the item is crossed out. This could hardly mean here, as in some other documents, that the garment had already been delivered to him, for about forty items, or half the total contained in this leaf, exhibit the Arabic final mem, which Goitein takes as an abbreviation of (tasalla)m, 'received' (the same in Appendix B 33, 64, and C 41). Thus the deletion of the parnas share probably had another reason. Other parnasim, mostly outsiders, or their relatives, receive clothing, for example, 'the sister of the parnas from Jerusalem' I l. 18, 'the firnas of Damietta' I:31, 'the parnas of Crete' II:6 (also crossed out), also II:1, IV:1 and 5. Note the large number of foreigners. (Information from Mediterranean Society, II, p. 444, App. B 25, dated 1100-1140).

List of about sixty recipients of charity, some identical with those in T-S NS J293. One section is superscribed 'In the Tujib' (a quarter of Fustat). No numerals or other indications of the charity involved. Like T-S K15.102 (Appendix B 31), it is written in very large characters, but in poor script and with bad spelling. (Information from Mediterranean Society, II, p. 448, App. B 34, dated 1100-1140).

List of about ninety persons receiving subsidies for their capitation tax obligation, similar to T-S K15.14 + T-S K15.66, Apps. 4-5. Many names and sums are identical. As in official documents from the Fatimid chancelleries, a blank space, three times as wide as the height of the script, is left between the lines. Thus, no doubt, the list was destined for public display. Col. I, l.2 'from the collection, pesiqa' is added because of a special circumstance. It was found that the person concerned was unable to pay even the very reduced rate of 1/4 dinar imposed on him. Verso col. II, l. 11: Yahya al-Majjani, 9 qirats. probably the well known merchant, in dire straits that year and in need of assistance with his capitation tax. (Information from Mediterranean Society, II, p. 440, App. B 6, dated 1040-1060)

List: “Register (thabat) of the names of the elders who...” written upside down on the reverse side of a list of payers of incomplete capitation taxes (see T-S K15.94). The superscription is nearly entirely effaced but the word ‘jarida’ (also register), mostly used on lists of the poor, is clearly visible in the second line. (S. D. Goitein, Mediterranean Society 2:476) EMS

List, eight columns, of more than 180 names receiving alms. Many payments of 1/8 dinar. Many foreigners, designated as such: Palestine 13; Iraq 12; Syria-Lebanon 7; Rum 3; Sicily 2; Qayrwan 1; Barqa 1; Spain 1. (Information from Mediterranean Society, II, p. 441, App. B 8)

List of 103 people, households, or groups receiving wheat. Amounts: between 1/2 and 3 waybas (1 wayba = ca. 4 gallons). Goitein there are comments added to the list (‘died,' 'absent’). Before a comprehensive distribution of wheat, communal officials scrutinized the list from the preceding distribution and made a note. of changes in circumstance, such as deaths, changes in economic situation, and departures. The updated list was then copied and used as a basis for the current distribution. One item is followed by this remark: "Note, ruqʿa, from the rayyis: this man should not receive anything." Cohen dates this list to slightly after App. B 25, 29, 31, 32, 33, since 3 people mentioned there are listed here as having died. (Information from Mediterranean Society II, pp. 457-458, App. B 66, Goitein's index card, and from Mark Cohen)

List of recipients of charity (bread) along with the khuddām al-kanīs (the list begins with three parnasim). This list fills three pages of the bifolium. One page has a Hebrew poem, preceded by the glyph, possibly in the handwriting of Moshe b. Levi ha-Levi.

Part of a booklet, with section beginning, like a title page, 'List of the Poor of Fustat--may God in his mercy make them rich and help them in his grace and kindness' (in K 15.5). Date is preserved here, on fol. 39, as, 11th of Marheshvan, October 30, 1107 (in App. B 21 Goitein wrote Tuesday, Marheshvan 18 [Nov. 5], but dated is correctly in Mediterranean Society, I, p. 56). The date is written in such a way that it could be tyt or tnt, 1107 or 1147, but the reading 1107 is made sure not only by the handwriting of the clerk [=Hillel ben Eli] but also by the names of various people listed, who are known from other Geniza papers. see ibid, I, p. 405 note 89. '490 pounds, amounting to 539 (loaves of bread), from the baker Ma'ali. Ten (pounds) were added, making a total of 500, namely ten loaves of old bread.' Other leaves from this notebook = fols. 5, 15, and 50. Notice the conspicuous presence of the Rum, Jews probably from Byzantium. In several places the names of the baker Ma'ali and that of another baker, Sadaqa, appear, interrupting the list of names of beneficiaries. The handwriting is that of Avraham b. Aharon, who also wrote App. B 23, 24. (Information from Mediterranean Society, II, p. 443, App. B 21, and from Cohen).

List of recipients of charity (bread) in the same hand, headed 'Friday the 4th (week of the liturgical year), 550 Pounds,' specifying about 140 households receiving approximately 600 loaves of bread. Most of the names in the list T-S NS J41 (= Cohen, The Voice of the Poor in the Middle Ages, no. 58) recur in this one, as well as in App. B 19-24 (= Cohen, The Voice of the Poor in the Middle Ages, nos. 60-65), but from which group it is separated by many different names.' Ca. 1100. (Information from Mediterranean Society, II, p. 442, App. B 18)

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]).