Geniza Lab

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

Letter from a woman requesting help in receiving her share from her late husband’s inheritance, with various signatures of support. Mentions government interference as well as her husband's other (simultaneous) wife, the daughter of Abū l-Ṭāhir. Long, well-preserved, and full of interesting details. Should be edited. (Information in part from CUDL)

Letter fragment in Judaeo-Arabic. Describing the sender's unfortunate dealings with a government bureau (דיואן). Apparently Ibn al-Farārījī tried to shake him down for money, claiming that "everything we (=the sender) do is disobedience, i.e., that we let you (=the addressee) build," to which the sender said, "Sir (yā wajīh), you can't take our property on these grounds, and we're not scared of that." It escalated, and the government officer confiscated 6 irdabbs (of wheat). An officer called al-Najīb tried to get the sender to sign for 100 dirhams (an outrageously low compensation for 6 irdabbs), but the sender swore that he wouldn't take any less than 110, which the officers refuse. Someone threatens to go to the amīr and accuse the other side of not cooperating, and ʿIzz al-Dīn intervenes here and tries to mediate a settlement. Some of these details are not very clear. Needs further examination. (Information in part from CUDL.) ASE

Letter from Abū l-Ḥayy b. Ṣāliḥ al-Ṣabbāgh, in Palermo, to Barhūn b. Mūsā al-Taherti. In Judaeo-Arabic. Dating: Ca. 1050 CE. The sender came to Palermo in order to travel on to Egypt, because conditions in the country (presumably Ifrīqiyya) were poor, and he was unable to provide for his family. He describes his wretched situation. He booked passage on a ship (qunbār) belonging to a man from Tinnīs, but he waited and waited, and all the other ships ("even the ships of Tripoli") set sail. At last, the night of sleeping on the ship (al-mabīt) arrived, but in the middle of the night, the government commandeered the ship and its goods and turned out all the passengers, including even Abū l-Ḥayy the Unlucky (al-ḍaʿīf al-najm) (is he referring to himself?). Thus the sender has been stranded in a foreign land without any money. "My arms and legs have been cut off, and I have left my son and my family (or: wife) perishing." Abū l-Ḥayy asks Barhūn for help. (Information in part from Gil and from Ben-Sasson.)

Letter fragment in Judaeo-Arabic. Mentions trouble with the government ('it would take too long to explain') and reporting the death of a female relative. (Information in part from CUDL)

Amulet to protect Maṣliaḥ ha-Kohen gaʾon b. Shelomo gaʾon (1127–39 CE), destroy his political enemies, and succeed before the government. (Information from CUDL)

Letter in the hand of Mevorakh b. Natan addressed to a dignitary named ʿAzaryahu. (For the addressee, cf. T-S 8J19.8 + CUL Add.3342.) Recto consists entirely of praises in eloquent Hebrew. Verso contains the body of the letter in Judaeo-Arabic. Much of it is missing, but it mentions a court case; an issue with the government; Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur; someone "who does not go out or come into the house," i.e., is on the run and hiding in the house; and Manṣūr sending someone after him. The sender asks for a little food. Regards to Barakāt; Sitt Wudūd (or Nudūd?). Joins: Oded Zinger and Alan Elbaum.