Geniza Lab

Letter of petition from a man to a potential benefactor: 'I hereby inform you that I have been in good health, "concealed" among the people (mastūr bayn al-nās). Then when my hand became paralyzed (infalajat), I was left without a means of making a livin[g].' When capitation tax payment came he had to go into hiding in his house, and so he asks for assistance." Cohen, Poverty and Charity, 42-43. See also Goitein's note card. The writer has been hiding in the house for 55 days. Only Abu l-Fakhr the son of the judge and Ibn [...] al-Amshati have come to his aid, each one giving him 5 dirhems. He bribed the capitation tax collectors with 5 dirhems and already spent the other 5. He needs food. ASE.

Fatimid-era petition. From Muʿammar [...] al-Tūnisī. In Arabic script. He is in trouble on account of the capitation tax and says he does not have enough money to buy food and that he wishes to return home to his frail mother. Begins "uʿlimu/uʿallimu," perhaps a clue of lower status or earlier period.

Business letter from a father, probably in Alexandria, to a son, probably in Fustat. In Judaeo-Arabic. Fragment. Dating: Looks 12th century, but this is a guess. The writer explains that he cannot come because he is very ill (wajiʿ wajaʿin ṣaʿb) and has no energy (nahḍa) to 'enter' (Fustat). He has therefore sent Sulaymān on his behalf to collect his indigo that is with Abū l-Ḥasan. The son is to make sure that this happens, and if he wants to travel back with Sulaymān, all the better. After all, it is the end of the year, and the son has to pay his capitation tax in Alexandria. If the son does come, there is a list of items that he should bring with him. ASE.

Recto: Abū l-Faḍā'il the cantor begs for money from Sitt Futūn, who also helped fund the construction of the synagogue (!), since he owes four years' worth, and she must have helped him 4+ years earlier. He writes: "You bestow charity on inanimate objects, and I am animate," and, "This is the equivalent of redemption of captives, for I am a captive." Verso: Possibly lines of poetry in Judaeo-Arabic about unrequited love. Probably not connected to recto.

Letter from Menaḥem to the judge Yehosef. In Judaeo-Arabic. A letter of recommendation poor man who has debts and must pay the capitation tax. Menaḥem also promises to send the quires (karārīs) as soon as he has finished writing them. "As for the capitation tax, it is said that it will not be demanded from the poor, who may obtain for it a rescript from the government (khaṭṭ al-sulṭān)." ASE.

Verso: Letter to a family member who had inquired about distant relatives. The writer states that his wife, son, and sister-in-law had died, while his mother and her brother (the writer's uncle) are still alive but need help paying the capitation tax and buying clothing (גאליה וכסוה). The writer includes reports about marriages, and notes there were certainly long times out of touch. (Information from Goitein's index cards) VMR

Accounts in Judaeo-Arabic. Includes expenses for the maks (customs duty?), and the capitation tax (jāliya) in Syria for the years 20 and 21. Names mentioned: al-Shaykh al-Rashīd Ṣayrafī b. al-Dayyan; Ibn Karīm al-Iskandarī Ṣabbāgh; Ibn Bayān; Bū l-Ghayth the tax farmer of Hebron (ḍāmin al-Khalīl); and [...] Ibn al-Ghuzūlī.

Letter from Avraham Neḥmad to Moshe b. ʿAbd al-Waliyy. Writer and addressee are Qaraites. Written in Hebrew and Judaeo-Arabic. The letter begins with a recommendation for the bearer, Yiṣḥaq al-Ḥamawī. The whole community of Ḥamawīs (people from Hama) in the writer's location is in great distress on account of the capitation tax (jāliya). The continuation of the letter deals with business matters. Verso also contains sums in