Geniza Lab

Legal testimony, or perhaps a letter. Written in Judaeo-Arabic on a bifolium. The document contains a blow-by-blow account of what various messengers said about the ripening of the barley crop and what ensued. Needs further examination.

Recto: Letter from an unknown man to a communal authority. In Judaeo-Arabic. The writer is seeking help in a convoluted case involving marital trouble and serial evictions by his landlord. There is a lot of information about the dwelling and its location. At one point the writer closed the main door and opened a new door onto an entrance hall (or alley? dihlīz) where a group of Qaraites live, including ʿAbd al-Laṭīf al-Baṣīr, and Wahba al-Zayyāt and his son ʿAbdallāh. The writer repeats several times that he vows that all he says is true. He also vowed to live in that house and already paid (or contracted to pay?) its rent for an entire year--possibly this vow was part of a settlement of a marital dispute. Verso: Another note in Judaeo-Arabic on the same case, but appears to be written from another person's perspective. The whole document merits further examination.

Letter in Judaeo-Arabic. Writer and addressee unknown, but both are Qaraites. The letter describes the great solidarity of the Qaraites and how they protect each other from the impact of oppressive decrees of the government. It also discusses Dammūh. The Rabbanites go there year-round, whereas the Qaraites mainly go there during the month of Adar. Needs further examination.