Geniza Lab

Three unsigned court depositions. Location: Damascus. Dating: July 1094 CE and March 1095 CE. They have to do with properties owned by the Zawbaʿa ("Tempest") family. The elder brother was named ʿUthmān b. Yefet. The second brother was Maṣliaḥ b. Yefet known as ha-Gizbar ("the Treasurer"), i.e., he was a government officer. (This Maṣliaḥ is also known from Megillat Evyatar as the man who brought up David b. Daniel b. ʿAzarya.) There were two tyrannical governors in Damascus: Ḥaydara Ibn Manzū (r.1063–64) and Muʿallā Ibn Manzū (r.1068–69). One of these expropriated the property of Maṣliaḥ in the Dār Quzmān neighborhood (near the eastern gate of Damascus, in the Jewish quarter), and the two brothers Maṣliaḥ and ʿUthmān fled the city for Egypt. Some 25 years later, Yefet the son of Maṣliaḥ returned to his birthplace and sued to regain the property abandoned by his father and uncle. In the meantime, another uncle had moved into one of the houses, encroaching beyond the border of the neighboring property owned by his wife. The uncle insisted on bringing the case to the Muslim courts, and Yefet b. Maṣliaḥ here testifies that he was compelled to go to the Muslim courts and did not want to. (Information from Goitein's edition.)

Letter from a man to his father or teacher. On a bifolium. The first half is in Hebrew and the second half in Judaeo-Arabic. The handwriting evolves significantly from the beginning to the end, but this may simply be due to writing faster and with less care; it does not necessarily mean that there are two different scribes. Dating: no earlier than 1141 CE, as Yehuda ha-Levi is dead; if 'al-Nezer' refers to Natan b. Shemuel, that would date the letter to no later than ~1153 CE. In the Hebrew portion, the sender repents of having scorned the addressee's wisdom and education, offers eloquent praises for the addressee, and mourns the absence between them. In the Judaeo-Arabic portion, he asks for copies of a number of liturgical poems, including 5 or 6 "ʿAmmānī ghurabā'(?)" raḥamim. He adds, " Ever since I have left Damascus, I intend to devote myself to the calling of a cantor. For this purpose, I have borrowed the diwans of Shelomo the Little (the famous Ibn Gabirol) and of Yehuda ha-Levi—may their memory be blessed—and made excerpts from them for my use" (Goitein, Med Soc II, p. 221 n. 10). He has also borrowed a siddur and has been studying the prayers in it. He asks the addressee to send the requested items with Sālim the ghulām of al-Thiqa. Whatever the cost of the paper and the copyist, the sender will reimburse it. He adds that on Tisha b'Av, al-Muhadhdhab and al-Nezer and his brother approached him and asked him to compose a dirge based on אשתונן ואתאונן (it seems referring to Aharon Ibn al-ʿAmmānī's dirge with the same opening: see BL OR 10594.4). The sender then records his own version of אשתונן ואתאונן at the bottom of the letter, "based on a laḥn I learned from you." It does not appear that the dirge here is the original אשתונן ואתאונן or that this sender is Aharon Ibn al-ʿAmmānī himself (whose handwriting is known from T-S 13J14.25). ASE

Letter in Arabic script. Addressed to a 'brother.' The sender has recently traveled from Damascus to Cairo (ll. 5–6 where he describes the journey and l. 11 where he arrives in Cairo). Mentions 'dying' of worry together with Umm Ibrāhīm (ll.8–9). He was worried about something having to do with Dāwūd (ll. 11–12). Needs further examination. On verso there is a legal deed (see alternate listing).

Letter of recommendation. In Arabic script. Sent from Damascus to two high-placed addressees (al-majlisayn al-sāmīyayn) presumably in Cairo, al-Majlis al-[...] and al-Majlis al-Nūrī. Dating: Perhaps Ayyubid or Mamluk era. The letter opens with two lines of poetry. The sender then reports that the bearer, al-Ḥājj Aḥmad from the city of [...] has been living for some time in Damascus. He traveled to the Ḥijāz with Ibn Shādī Bedouins but apparently lost a sum of money and has petitioned the government for help. The addressees are asked to assist him. A ḥadīth is quoted: الخلق كلهم عيال الله واحب الخلق الى الله انفعهم لعياله نفع الله بمعروفه يوم يحتاج الناس الى معروفهم. The honorific "Sayyidnā" is used for multiple people including the addressee(s). Regards to various people, including Najm al-Dīn al-Bahnasī and Ayyūb. The Qāḍī Fakhr al-Dīn b. Abī l-Manāqib(?) was present at the time of the writing of the letter. Needs further examination. ASE

One of four fragments from the court ledger of the Babylonian congregation of Damascus (T-S 16.181, T-S AS 146.66, T-S NS 320.108, and T-S 12.592). Dated: 6 Nisan 4693 AM, which is 933 CE. The first betrothal recorded is between Shemuel b. Avraham the Persian and Khayriyya bt. ʿEzra; the mohar was fixed at 50 gold pieces. At the time of betrothal Samuel gave her 3 good gold pieces, and he will add 17 gold pieces at the time of marriage, and a further 30 in future. This offer was accepted by Manṣūr b. Isaac, the guardian of Khayriyya. Witnessed by Muʿammar b. Yaʿaqov, Benyamin […], Aharon b. R. […], […] b. Shaʾul, Yaʿaqov b. Maymūn, and Avraham ha-Shofet. The second record regards the betrothal of […] b. Yosef with Thanā bt. Furayj ha-Kohen, witnessed by Yaʿaqov b. Natan and Aharon b. ʿEli. (Information from CUDL.)

Business letter in Judaeo-Arabic. Strange spellings. Mentions: 'al-rayyis'; how the sender's sister went to someone's house and accused someone of not paying the money due to the miserable children; how the addressee's brother and paternal uncle are in Damascus; how the addressee had complained about difficult making a living; how the sender took some money (a lot of small change?) to a banker named Abū Ghālib, who weighed it and said it came out to 9 (dinars?) and a bit. (Information in part from CUDL)

Much damage fragment. On recto a letter, very hard to read. On verso fragment from another letter. The writer informing that people have arrived from Damascus, and he didn't receive any reply from the addressee. The French (אפרנג) are mentioned in the margins.

Revenue from rent in Damascus, date unknown. Leaf of a notebook, recording revenue from rent from shops and apartments belonging to the qodesh of Damascus. The reconstruction of several such shops is mentioned, carried out under the direction of the beadle Na'im b. Benyameen. One of the apartments was inhabited by people who came ffrom the Maghrib. (Information from Gil, Documents, pp. 229 #39)

Letter to Peraḥya. In Judaeo-Arabic. Fragment. Dating: after 1088 CE. The letter discusses business in flax in the Levant, especially in Damascus. Needs examination

Account: revenue from rent in Damascus.

Strip from the left part of a court record. The reconstruction is not clear but it seems that Mufadal son of Mevorakh Halevi Appeared before the court showing a legal deed issued in Damascus regarding a debt of 30 dinars by Abu Imran. The debtor claimed that he already paid it and asked for a bill of release. Written by Halfon b. Menashshe Halevi under the authority of Masliah Gaon at the year [1]440 era of document= 1129.

One of four fragments from the court ledger of the Babylonian congregation of Damascus (T-S 16.181, T-S AS 146.66, T-S NS 320.108, and T-S 12.592). This fragment contains part of the signatures from the foot of one deed in addition to a fragmentary marriage register. Dated: 4693 AM, which is 932/33 CE. (Friedman, Jewish Marriage, vol. 2, 435.) EMS

A very faded and damaged, barely legible, letter, mentions Damascus and a certain Zekharya b. [...]

Bottom of a letter in Ladino from Damascus to Fustat, addressed to Yosef Pisho (?) the student of Yiṣḥaq Ashkenazi (very possibly Isaac Luria). The writer describes how he has wept day and night since their separation and "you know that the foreigner (el forastero), no matter how rich he may be undergoes hardships (por muncho rico que sea pasa fatigas)" He sends regards to several people: his sister, his brother Yosef, Moshe Rozal, el Hakham R. Hayyim Lavita and his wife, and to Doña Dona ("she of munyon" = the stump?) and to tell her that he was unable to pass on her message to R. Meir Cohen, because he is now in Sefat. He also mentions Masʿud Kohen and the brother of Yiṣḥaq.

Letter from an unknown writer, in Damascus, to an unknown addressee, in Fustat. The letter is in Judaeo-Arabic and the address is in Arabic (the names of writer and addressee may be legible with further examination). The purpose of the letter is to remind the addressee of the love between them and to remind him of his promise to come stay in Damascus with the writer. On verso, in addition to the address, there are two medical prescriptions.

Marriage contract (ketubba) from Damascus, late tenth century. The dowry list includes a short garment of linen decorated with silver and golden threads, two shirts, two velvet covers, and two dyeing vessels. (Information from CUDL)

Long letter to Ishaq Noah b. Avraham in Kokizov. The writer is mentioning the communities in Jerusalem and Damascus, and referring to the observation of Passover.

There are ~10 documents sharing this shelfmark. 546/9: Letter from the Qaraite community of Damascus (specifically Yosef ha-Kohen Khāṭir) to the Qaraite community of Fustat/Cairo (specifically Yaʿaqov Ṣāliḥ). In Hebrew and Judaeo-Arabic. Dating: Late, probably no earlier than 16th century.

Karaite ketuba from Damascus. The groom is Tosef Halevi b. Yehuda. The deflowered bride is Esther known as Zubaida d. 'Ovadyahu b. David.

Ketubba fragment (marriage contract). Location: Damascus. Dated: [.]101 Seleucid = [10]89/90 or [11]89/9 CE.