Geniza Lab

Letter from Ḥalfon b. Madmun to Saadya b. Avraham, an Egyptian teacher. Aden, 1154.

Avraham Ibn Yiju's inventory of baggage for journey from India to the west. Written in India, probably in 1140 or 1149. Elizabeth Lambourn's book Abraham's Luggage is centered on this document.

Letter from Yosef b. Avraham to Avraham b. Yiju. The whereabouts of Yosef and Ibn Yiju are unclear. Goitein thought that Ibn Yiju was in Mangalore while Yosef was somewhere in India. Friedman suggests that Yosef was in Mangalore and Ibn Yiju was somewhere in Yemen. Friedman dates the letter to 1140-1144. The letter contains details of their various business dealings.

Perhaps Aden, the last third of Tishrei 1441, which is October 6-15, 1129 This is an excerpt from the terminal memory of a witness that a certain person made some kind of business commitment to Ḥalfon. The date of the certificate, Tishrei 1441, which is October 1129, is the earliest date found in Ḥalfon’s archival certificates. In the inscription section, the last lines of the form of the note, with more or less routine wording, mostly in Hebrew and Aramaic. From the name of the place on the shore of the Great Sea ('דעל כיף ימה רבה') only the first letter, עי"ן, survived, and it is also not complete. Goitein assumes it means the city of Aden. But it is not impossible that 'Aidab' must be completed; See the note to line 12. In any case, it is appropriate to pay attention to the mention of the 'authority' of the head of the Yeshiva, Maṣliaḥ, apparently outside the borders of Egypt and on his way to India. (Information from Goitein and Friedman, India Book IV)

Court proceedings in which the two brothers, Abu al-Fadl and Ma'ali, the sons of Ayyash, claimed certain assets of Farah, who was murdered in Aydhab, from a certain Abu Ali. In connection with this they asked the court to register that Lebdi had acknowledged in court a long time ago that he had no claims to these assets. Abu Ali, apparently, claimed that he owed the money to Lebdi rather than to the two brothers. The document is from 1106/7.

Business letter in Arabic script, 11th century, to do with the India trade, including pepper and lac. Name of sender and recipient missing. Aodeh: "difficult hand."

Fragment of detailed accounts written by Avraham Ibn Yiju, India, apparently 1132-1139, 1145-1149.

Letter from an unidentifed merchant, in ʿAydhāb. In Judaeo-Arabic. He complains about the tribulations of getting pepper through customs. The qāḍī in Qūṣ apparently issued an unfavorable judgment. The customs farmer (ḍāmin) in ʿAydhāb said "I have not received anything of the customs duties," and he opened up the store-room (makhzan) and sold off an ʿadl of pepper. The letter was abandoned here. See Goitein's attached notes for further analysis.

Betrothal (erusin) contract. In the hand of Ḥalfon b. Menashshe. Location: Fustat. Dating: Probably before 1120 CE. Groom: Abū ʿAlī (Yeḥezqel), the brother of Ḥalfon b. Netanel ha-Levi, who agrees to pay a fine of 15 dinars if Abū ʿAlī should cancel the betrothal.

An Abū Zikrī Kohen cheque. Khalīl is to give the bearer one raṭl of linseed oil.

Awaiting description - see Goitein notes linked below.

Fragment of a mercantile letter, probably from Aden, concerning shipments of textiles, books, spices, and gems. (Information from Goitein notes linked below.)

Probably Fustat; Maybe 1132 Hillel b. Ṣadoq Av Bet Din, one of the dignitaries of Egypt in the middle of the twelfth century, wrote Ḥalfon ('Ḥalfon b. Netanʾel). The very connection between the writer and the recipient is noteworthy. But we have before us only a small section from the beginning and the end of the letter, and until another section is found to join it, no essential details can be saved from it. (Information from Goitein and Friedman)

Deed of release. Written and signed by Ḥalfon b. Menashshe. Location: Fustat. Dated: Middle third of Shevaṭ 1447 Seleucid, which is 15–25 January 1136 CE. Abū Zikrī Yehuda (b. Yosef) ha-Kohen releases Abū Saʿīd Ḥalfon (b. Netanel) ha-Levi from all claims. (Information from India Book 4, Hebrew description below.)

Letter from an India trader, probably in Yemen. In Judaeo-Arabic. He recently came from India (Kullam, recto margin l. 15) and intends to return to India (r15). He refers to Mālikī dinars (r15, v9), which were in use in Yemen. He expresses gratitude with a gruesome turn of phrase: "The flesh on my body belongs to you, and even if I skinned it and (gave?) it to you, it would not repay you." He has purchased a 6-year-old female slave for Sitt al-Ḥusn and two pearl bracelets, among other items, which he hopes will be transported in the Kārim fleet. The addressees should send their letters to Mufliḥ b. Sūdān. Mentions Khalaf the son of the Kohen, Yiṣḥaq al-Nafūsī, 'the parnas,' and Abū l-Surūr al-Kohen Ibn al-Dawānīqī. He has been unable to collect a debt from Fahd, for in this town there is no one to oblige anyone to pay their debts aside from one’s own ‘gentlemanly character’ (muruwwa). Mentions having sent something to Nahrwara (in India) (v9). (Information in part from Goitein's attached notes and CUDL.)

India Book III, 18: Five accounts written by Ibn Yiju in India, 1136-1139, 1145-1149. These accounts are written on the other side of a letter from Madmun from Aden to India (see II, 23, PGPID 5479).

India Book II, 21–24 (synoptic edition). Letter from Maḍmūn b. Ḥasan, in Aden, to Avraham Ibn Yiju. Dating: ca. 1135 CE. Altogether, six fragments of (at least) three copies of the letter have been identified, as follows: Copy 1: II,22 (T-S NS J240) = a small section of the original written by Maḍmūn. Ibn Yiju reused verso for writing accounts (cf II,23v = PGPID 5537). II,22a (Moss. IV,21.1) II,23 (T-S 20.137), the main part of the original written by Maḍmūn. Copy 2: II,24 (T-S NS J1), the clean copy of the clerk, with two postscripts added by Maḍmūn Copy 3: II,21 (T-S NS J241), another clean copy of the clerk, on whose reverse side he added the postscripts of the master II,21a (JRL Series B 4089), in the hand of the same clerk who wrote II,21 and perhaps a fragment of the same copy. The text on verso (PGPID 5232) corresponds to II,23 lines 32–43. The text on recto (PGPID 5233) is not paralleled in the other surviving fragments.

Quittance by the rabbinical court of Fustat for money sent to Madmun II. Fustat, probably 1214.

Unusual order of payment of Abū Zikrī Kohen. In Judaeo-Arabic, with a Hebrew 'emet' and Arabic and Greek/Coptic numerals in the upper margin. Moshe b. Netanʾel ha-Shishi ha-Levi initially sent a note instructing Yehuda ha-Kohen (=Abū Zikī Kohen) to issue an order of payment to his banker Abū l-Khayr Khiyār to give somebody (presumably Moshe) 6 dinars for 3 irdabbs of wheat. Upon receiving this note, it seems that Abū Zikrī Kohen added the note "pay them (the dinars) to him," signed it, and added the "emet" and other pertinent notations in the upper margin, i.e., he turned the note requesting an order of payment into an order of payment. (Information in part from Goitein's attached notes.)

Letter sent from an unidentified man, in Alexandria, to his brother, in Shayzar (Syria). In Judaeo-Arabic. The sender has recently returned from a long visit to Yemen. The addressee has recently moved from Ḥamāh to Shayzar (a smaller town nearby), and is planning to emulate his brother and travel overseas. On verso there are jottings. (Information from CUDL.)