Geniza Lab

Letter from Natan b. Nahray, the uncle of Nahray b. Nissim, in Alexandria, to Nahray's son, Abū Saʿd Nissim b. Nahray, in Fustat, ca. 1066. The letter relates many commercial matters and mentions Avraham al-Derʿi as Natan's commercial competitor in coral trade. From Nahray's title and from the fact that Nissim is already grown up and involved in trade, one can conclude that the letter was written in the late nineties of the 11th century. Doc. #43 in Nahray's archive. Mentions various goods: silk, clothes, pearls, lapiz lazuli and tin (Gil, Kingdom, Vol. 3, p. 439).

Letter from Al-Mubārak b. Yiṣḥaq Ibn Sabra to his "father" (paternal uncle?) Abū l-Ḥasan Surūr b. Ḥayyim Ibn Sabra. He reports that Ibn Siman Ṭov (בן סימנטב) arrived and told him that the addressee had purchased a sack (tillīs) of wheat for 7 dinars, which saddened him, because Mubārak could have gotten him 2 sacks of superior wheat from his supply in Tinnīs. Indeed, Mubārak is struggling financially, and that would have helped him. He has been worrying so much about his goods in Tinnīs that he suffered an attack of yellow bile and broke out in pustules (fa-min kuthrat mā ḥamaltu ʿalā qalbī laḥaqanī khulṭ ṣafrāwī wa-ṭalaʿa ʿalayya bathr). People are in state of fear due to an unspecified situation. Mubārak had sent a letter with Maymūn al-Maghribī concerning garments that the addressee is supposed to send, because he hasn't even been able to afford a שראשי(?) to wear. He hasn't gone to the synagogue for several Shabbats (it seems due to his financial straits and lack of decent clothing). ASE

Accounts in Judaeo-Arabic from a broader ledger attested within the nearby joins: JRL SERIES C 81 + JRL SERIES C 92. On the recto there may be a reference to dying or merely the purchase of clothing with the account entry "סוליימאן בקיית קרמזי בגדו". After the name Suleiman, this phrase appears to be incorporating the grammar and/or lexical elements of Arabic, Turkish, and Hebrew in short succession. When transliterated the meaning of this phrase becomes more clear: "bi-kayıt kırmızı begedu / in registering his red clothing". On the recto there are also a variety of other individuals mentioned, such as: Maḥmūd Eksek[?], Yahuda Q'alī, and the surname Saragossi. The same recordkeeping format continues on the verso. MCD.

Rect: Letter concerning an order for pieces of clothing which the writer had sent but the addressee had not confirmed receiving. (Information from Mediterranean Society, IV, p. 408). Verso: Arabic jottings. (Information from CUDL)

Legal document: partnership agreement. Dated: July 18, 1107. Location: Cairo. Partnership agreement between Nethanel b. Tiqva and Eli b. Mevasser in a clothing and tailoring shop. Nethanel and Eli will both sell the clothing, which Eli will sew. Nethanel contributes 10 dinars, expecting to contribute more once the shop is in operation, and is the shop keyholder. He will receive two-thirds of the profits and losses; Eli is to receive the balance. Lines 1 and 4 mention God’s role in guiding the partnership and in bringing about profit, which is common in such documents. Four diagonal lines run through the entire text; it is unclear whether this indicates that the partnership was terminated. The document is signed by Shelomo b. Mevorakh. (Information from Lieberman, "A Partnership Culture," 210)

Recto: Abu al-Makarim gives eight pieces of clothing to Abu al-Mufaddal as collateral for 4 dinars. Dated Elul 1525/August 1213. (Information from Mediterranean Society, IV, p. 413) Verso: Note relating to a marriage. (Information from CUDL)

One page is a book list, and one page is an inventory of items of clothing without prices except the first 4 items. Dating: early 13th century. (Information from Goitein's index cards)

Two lists of recipients of clothing, in two different scripts, the first part, extending from col.I, l. 1, to col. II, l. 14, the second from col. II, l. 15, to col. IV, l. 21. At least half of the recipients were women. Four names recur in both lists, meaning that two different distributions are recorded here. Details about 44 plus 37 households are recorded, but the leaf, which is folded to form a booklet of four pages, is superscribed 'Leaf no. 3', so that the total number of persons listed originally might have been not 81, but three times as many. It is not excluded that this one and Appendix B 33 and 64 originally formed one document. Abu al-Faraj the parnas is in charge of the the second distribution (which was made in two steps, col. II, l. 15; col. IV, l. 6), is listed as recipient of a thawb, or gown, in the first distribution (col. I, l. 20 [read: 10]), where, however, the item is crossed out. This could hardly mean here, as in some other documents, that the garment had already been delivered to him, for about forty items, or half the total contained in this leaf, exhibit the Arabic final mem, which Goitein takes as an abbreviation of (tasalla)m, 'received' (the same in Appendix B 33, 64, and C 41). Thus the deletion of the parnas share probably had another reason. Other parnasim, mostly outsiders, or their relatives, receive clothing, for example, 'the sister of the parnas from Jerusalem' I l. 18, 'the firnas of Damietta' I:31, 'the parnas of Crete' II:6 (also crossed out), also II:1, IV:1 and 5. Note the large number of foreigners. (Information from Mediterranean Society, II, p. 444, App. B 25, dated 1100-1140).

List in the hand of the scribe of App. B 25, part 2, and App. B 33, part 1. Distribution of 23 jukhaniyyas to thirteen women, seven men, and three persons defined as 'acquaintance of' or 'the house of.' The names of three (e.g., the laborer employed by the beadle and parnas Salim) are crossed out and nine bear the sign resembling an Arabic final m (probably tasallam 'received') as in App. B 25 and 33, with which our fragment might once have formed one document. (Information from Mediterranean Society, II, p. 456, App. B 64 [dated 1100-1150])

Pages (a) through (c): Distribution list for clothing (al-kiswa). Dated: Ṭevet 1488 Seleucid, which began on 5 December 1176 CE. The last but one numeral of the date is not fully visible, but its reading is ascertained by the many names in common with the lists A 25–36 (1181–84 CE). Distribution of about 110 pieces of clothing (40 muqaddar, 49 ordinary, and 15 small jūkhāniyyas, the rest illegible) to community officials and/or their dependents and to needy persons. At the head of the list at least five cantors and three shomers. One beadle of Dammūh is listed at the beginning of the list (p a, l. 5), another at the end (c, l. 6). Almost all the males receive a muqaddar, all but one of the females (p. b, l. 2) a jūkhāniyya. Males receiving a muqaddar: p. a, l. 8 (written above the line), p. b, ll. 1, 6, 18. Various members of the same household each get a piece of clothing: Sālim, the porter, a jūkhāniyya (p. a, l. 8) his wife, a jūkhāniyya (p. a, l.13); Abū l-Majd, the milkman, a muqaddar (p. a, l. 16), his son, a small jūkhāniyya (p. c, l. 3); Maḥfūẓ, the beadle and his son, each a muqaddar. Still, such occurrences are far rarer than one would expect. The conclusion to be derived from this and related documents: normally, only one member of a household received a new piece of cloth at each distribution. Page (d): "Dirhems expended." After the first item, "the judges," is left a blank space. Al-Najīb (the parnas) follows with the number 20 after it and l. 12, Abū ʿAlī the parnas, with 12. The remainder: 6 receive 3 dirhems; 4 receive 4 dirhems; 7 receive 5 dirhems (including "the widow of the man from Tyre; a foreigner"); 2 receive 6 dirhems; 2 receive 8 dirhems (including "the widow of the man from Haifa"). As other lists show, the cash was given as a partial compensation for clothing. Thus the two parts of the manuscript actually form one record. (Information from Goitein, Med Soc II, Appendix B, #71 (p.459).) The recipients also include one female slave and three women who are freed slaves (per Goitein's index card).

Will. In the hand of Hillel b. ʿEli. "No wailing women; and of garments in which I shall be buried, no more than these: two cloaks, three robes, a washed turban of fine linen—it is already wound up—new underpants (sarāwīl) of mine, and a new waist­band (zunnār) of mine." He wishes to be buried next to his paternal uncle or his wife. He has released his wife from the requirement of taking an oath before collecting her ketubba. (Information and translation from Goitein, Med Soc IV, 160.)

List of clothes for the poor. Dated: 1451 Seleucid, which is 1139/40 CE. Four fragments altogether, three of which being in the hand of the scribe of T-S K15.48, part one. They are headed by the parnas Abū ʿAlī b. Barukh, receiving a muqaddar, and the shomer Abū l-Surūr allotted a shuqqa. All the remaining forty whose names are preserved get a jūkhāniyya. In the fourth fragment (which was attached to the others by a thread), in the hand of the second part of K15.48, a piece of clothing of the sari type, called fūṭa, is given to fifteen persons. Goitein assembled these fragments together while working on the New Series in the Taylor Schechter Collection. The type, form, and state of preservation of the paper and the arrangement of the script on it leave little doubt, however, that they form parts of one document. Words surrounded by { } in the transcription below are in Arabic letters. The Arabic final mem probably represents the word tasallam. 'paid' or 'received.' (Information from Mediterranean Society, II, p. 448, App. B 33 [dated to1100-1140]).