Geniza Lab

Primary text: Letter from Maʿānī, in an unknown location, to his brother Mūsā, in Fustat. The letter is in Judaeo-Arabic with the address in Arabic: to [Sūq] al-ʿAṭṭārīn, to Ibn al-Amshāṭī, to be given to [...] al-Ḥazzān, to be given to his son Mūsā. "By the milk with which we were nursed and by the womb that bore us. . . do not let your father cut me off because of what I said to him. You yourself should buy the paper from him. . . the copyist. . . exert (tajdahid = tajtahid) yourself for me." The letter ends here. Secondary text: There is a grid in red ink on verso, filled with Arabic, Judaeo-Arabic, and Hebrew. ASE.

Long letter in Hebrew, probably first half of the 11th century. Very damaged. Mentions the Mount of Olives and "this woman." The name Shemarya b. Moshe (?) appears at the end. Addressed in Arabic script to Abu Kathir Efrayim (possibly Efrayim b. Shemaryah).

Letter from an otherwise unknown Avraham b. Yosef to the relatively well-known Abū l-Faḍā'il Ḥayyim b. Ḥananel, who was the son of the judge Ḥananel b. Shemuel (active ca.1211–49), and therefore the brother-in-law of Avraham Maimonides (1186–1237). See Fenton's article for other documents involving Ḥayyim b. Ḥananel. This letter consists almost entirely of deferent formalities and greetings. The writer sends regards to the addressee's father, R. Ḥananel, to the Nagid David I Maimonides (given ~30 titles) and to David's brothers ʿOvadya (1228–65) and the physician Abū l-Faḍl (from this Fenton deduces that Goitein was correct in suggesting that Avraham Maimonides had three sons: David, ʿOvadya, and Abū l-Faḍl). He also sends regards to "your associate (sharīk) al-Shaykh al-Sadīd," probably a physician; to Abū l-Barakāt Waliyy al-Dawla; and to another associate, al-Mawlā al-A[. .]d. In the margin, he reports that he has obtained the garments that Abū l-Faḍl had ordered, and that he will send them for the holiday as soon he finds a reliable messenger, or he will bring them himself. Information from Fenton's edition and discussion. ASE.

Letter from Avraham b. ʿAmram to Nahray b. Nissim (and Barhūn b. Ṣāliḥ?), Fustat, 1067 CE. The letter includes information about the Tahertis who are in Jerusalem, and about the death of one of them. The writer requests urgent action regarding obtaining witnesses in Fustat, in particular from Yūsuf b. Yannai al-Baradānī, regarding the rights of a woman to property that remained in Qayrawān. A letter is mentioned that reported difficult news about the events in the Maghrib, apparently Qayrawān. Information from Gil.

Letter from an unknown writer, in Fustat, to Yūsuf al-Ḥazzān(?), in Alexandria. In Judaeo-Arabic with the address in Arabic script. There is a rumor going around that Abū ʿImrān got married, and the writer wants to know if this is true or not. The bearer of the letter had been in Qūṣ and he has news that might interest the addressee. The addressee's elder sister and Hibatallāh send their regards.

Letter from the Qaraite Moshe b. Yiṣḥaq al-Maghribī, in Jerusalem, to Abu l-Faraj Nissim b. ʿAmram al-Ṣayrafī, in Fustat. Dating: Mid-11th century. The letter is addressed to the market of the producers of copper tools (sūq al-naḥḥāsīn) in Fustat. This fragment is only the beginning of the letter; the entirety of what remains consists of blessings and prayers and good wishes for the holidays. (Information in part from Gil.) VMR. ASE.

Letter from Khalaf b. Isḥāq to someone whose name includes Shemaʿya, sent to the house of Abū Yaʿqūb Yūsuf b. al-Qudsī, in Fustat. In Judaeo-Arabic with the address in Arabic script. Mainly concerning business matters, including the silk trade. Mentions Damietta and then "all the Jews are turning to the government" (v6). ASE

Recto and verso: Letter from Meir (b. Yakhin) to a certain Ḥalfon. In Judaeo-Arabic, with the address in Arabic script. The identification is based on handwriting. Dating: Early 13th century. Meir asks for the money that belongs to the shop and for a list of what should be bought. Verso: Apart from the address, some further lines in Arabic script, and a Judaeo-Arabic pen trial, there is the four-line response from Ḥalfon mentioning ḍarībat al-jumʿa ('the tax of the week'?). Ḥalfon has also gone back and fixed the titles from Meir's letter. In lieu of "his slave Meir" he writes "rather, his master" and in lieu of "the master Ḥalfon" he writes "his slave." ASE

Letter from Ḥassūn b. Daniel (? looks like حسون بن دانييل) to a certain Abū l-Ṭayyib. In Judaeo-Arabic with the address in Arabic script. The Judaeo-Arabic is written with a rudimentary hand and spellings. Needs further examination.

Letter to someone addressed as mawlāy al-rayyis. In Hebrew and Judaeo-Arabic with the address in Arabic script. Mentions al-Maḥalla and Ibn al-Ḥabrāwī. Needs further examination.

Letter from the wife of Yehuda b. Moshe b. Sughmār, in Fustat, to her husband Yehuda b. Moshe b. Sughmār, in Alexandria. The letter was dictated to Abū l-Faraj, who gives his name toward the end of the letter (v9-10); Gil suggests that he is their son. The writer conveys her concern for what she heard of her husband's illness (wajaʿ). She describes her father's and her own misfortunes, and discusses the famine in Fustat. The sugar and the rose preserves that Yehuda said he sent never arrived. Dated September 26 (18 Tishrei), 1070 CE (Gil's suggestion based on the similarity between events described in the letter and those known to have transpired in 462H). ASE.

Fragment of a letter in Judaeo-Arabic. Recto preserves only the beginning, mentioning "the khaṭṭ of my master for 22 dinars." Verso preserves the left half of the address in Arabic script (min [...] b. [...] al-[...], al-Fusṭāṭ, yaṣil [...]).

Family letter from Sālim to Bū Manṣūr b. Sukkarī (or Zikrī?) in Alexandria reporting that the Rūmī cheese had arrived and that the writer had sent the pottery (or clay pipes, fukhkhār) desired. Greetings to Mother and both grandparents. The address is in Arabic script on verso. Information from Goitein's note card.

Letter from Yeḥezqel b. Eli ha-Kohen b. Yeḥezqel, in Jerusalem, to Eli ha-Kohen b. Ḥayyim (aka Abū l-Ḥasan ʿAllūn b. Yaʿīsh), in Fustat. In Judaeo-Arabic with the address in Arabic. Dating: second half of the 11th century. See also T-S Misc.28.171. The writer expresses his relief at the news that the addressee recovered from his illness. He devotes much space to excusing himself for failing to send any letters until now. He asks the addressee to remind 'the Rayyis' (probably identical with al-Rayyis Abū l-Ṭayyib in T-S Misc.28.171) to remind his son to fulfill the money order (suftaja) that had been sent. In a postscript, he conveys the news that the sister of Hiba ('who is with Shimʿon al-Rav') died, who was also the mother-in-law of Abūn b. Ṣedaqa. Information from Gil. ASE. NB: The first Goitein note card (#6240) belongs with DK 228.4 (PGPID 31342).

Letter from Umm Abū ʿAlī, in the Rif, likely near Damīra, to her son Isḥāq, in Fustat. The latter may live with his aunt and uncle, as the letter is addressed to the writer's sister’s son, Abū l-Munā. The writer is ill, and she repeatedly tells Isḥāq to tell Umm Abū l-Munā to send myrobalan and a medicinal syrup back with the messenger, presumably to be furnished by Abu l-Muna’s father who is a maker of syrups (sharābī). Isḥāq's wife seems to be pregnant (the writer is waiting for "khalāṣ zawjatak"). The writer invites her sister Umm Abū l-Munā to visit her in the village by promising plenty of watermelons to eat. This letter is mentioned in Mediterranean Society, I, p. 121. The Arabic address reads: "yaṣil hādhā l-kitāb ilā waladī al-shaykh Abū l-Munā b. Abū Surrī al-sharābī min khālatihi Umm Abū ʿAlī ... dār al-wāzīr (or wāzīn?)." ASE.

Letter from Mūsā b. Abū [...] to an unknown addressee (c/o a certain Turjumān). In Judaeo-Arabic, with the address in both Judaeo-Arabic and Arabic script. The content is difficult to decipher. There are at least three further fragments under this shelfmark, one of which may even belong together with the main fragment

Letter of thanks from Manṣūr to Khalaf. In Judaeo-Arabic with the address in Arabic script.

Letter from Ismāʿīl b. Faraḥ to Nahray b. Nissim.

Recto: Letter fragment to 'my brother.' Written in Judaeo-Arabic, calligraphic, large quadrangular characters. No detailed are preserved. Verso: In Arabic script (and two different inks), "To be delivered to the tax bureau (dīwān al-kharāj) in Cairo, to Yūsuf." Information from Goitein's note card.

Letter fragment (opening lines. Written in Judaeo-Arabic with remnants of an address in Arabic script on verso.