Geniza Lab

Calligraphic family letter, sent from Giza, containing many names and detailed instructions. Dated to the 13th century. (Information from Mediterranean Society, I, 423, and from Goitein's index cards.) A very rough translation is as follows: "Your letter arrived with Ibn al-Jalajuli. Najm al-Din read it with me in Giza and wrote a response in his own hand. A letter with Abu l-Ḥasan arrived with the news that you are sick, and we were pained on your account, myself and the mother. As for Tawus and Mas'udah, they did not greet us (?). The old woman and Mas'udah fought, she said to her, "You claim that I owe you something, I don't owe anything to anybody!" We went to Abu l-Khayr, I and the Hakim, as soon as Abu l-Ḥasan arrived with the letter. We fought with him. We said, "Give the ghazal (?), we will do it outside." But he didn't do it. He prepared it and he will do it. As for what you sad, my brother, that I should rise and come, you know that I am busy with the speaking (?) of Najm al-Din until matters are stable (?) with him. On Wednesday, the day after the arrival of the letter, I went to Amin al-Din the son of the founder and bought five of indigo (nīl) from him. I gave him your letter and he read it and I kissed his hand and humbled myself and cried. He was pained and said, come back another time. He is good of heart and wishes for your delivery. He promised me. Every day I await for the response from him, and every day I go to him -- may God grant that salvation is at his hands, and the next letter after this one will tell of your salvation. My brother, I cannot travel until I have a letter with news of your delivery. There is no sense in traveling like this. I can't even buy or sell things until your matter is settled and the speaking (?) of Najm al-din. As for what you said about going to to al-Shams b. al-Muzawwiq - he did not leave me in Giza after he read your letter except that he was good (of health?). Maybe we don't need any of them. You know that he does not have any influence apart from money. Until now, nothing has been settled between me and him. If you need money, send word with someone you trust, and we will give it to him. My brother, there is fire in our hearts because of you. Mother and your sister and the Hakim all want to come to you. A blond apostate (poshea') arrived after Abu l-Ḥasan's letter and said that you had departed. Someone wanted to write a letter to someone; but he searched for you and did not find you. He calmed our hearts a great deal. He told us that your leg hurts you. Their fear was calmed, and they recovered from their state...." Further people mentioned include Hajj Muhammad, Najm al-Din, the old woman, the Hakim, Hikam (?), and al-Shaykh Hilal. ASE.

Letter fragment from Shabbetay b. Avraham he-Ḥaver (the judge of Minyat Zifta, active 1135–78) to Natan b. Shemuel he-Ḥaver. This is the upper margin and the address only. Shabbetay includes a wish for Natan’s recovery in the address and reports that he was ill himself—with a bone in his leg that had not been set properly—and apologizes for not presenting himself. He had not come to Fustat for five months. Information from Goitein’s note cards and Med Soc II, 44. See also card #27137.

Hebrew letter from Yiṣḥaq b. Zeraḥya known as Faryol (?), a physician, to Avraham Talmid (known from other letters, fl. ca.1600). The first part of the letter deals with business matters. The writer mentions that he wished to examine some books, but the bookseller refused to untie them. He then asks the addressee to look after and mentor R. David ha-Kohen who is visiting Damascus with 200 gold pieces to exchange them for other gold and silver. The second part of the letter conveys information for al-Shaykh Ghāzī who left his wife in the hands of the writer to cure her from her illness. Thanks to the medicines sent by the husband and others that the writer gathered, the cure has been successful—her face has completely healed, and her legs, thank God. "Please remind him to send me a suitable gift, something suitable. In truth it has been nine months since I have seen my home (or: wife). Now, for Purim, they have begged me to come, but the sick woman, his wife, did not wish to let me go, and I could not go against her will. Copy out these words for him. . ." Information from Avraham David's edition. ASE.

Letter from Nissim b. Ḥalfon, probably from Tinnīs, to Nahray b. Nissim, Fustat. Dating: Probably from November 17, 1046. The letter contains personal information: the destruction of the writer’s house and his illness. Mentions Sahlān b. Avraham. Also mentions shipments of money and goods: honey, crocus, linen, linen fabrics, and “lāsīn” silk. The illness passage (v12–16) reads as follows: "My lord, I have a great pain (wajaʿ) in my thigh (bi-fakhdhī), and I lack the strength (ʿayītu). . . a medicine for me to drink (dawā' nashrabuhu). I went (wajjahtu) {to} the doctor, but it/he was of no avail. When I go to the bazaar, I am forced to sit on the road five times and more. I have ceased all my work. May God have mercy on me." The translations of Goitein and Gil diverge significantly. Goitein reads "bi-kabdī" (in my liver) and Gil reads "bi-fikrī" (in my estimation) instead of "bi-fakhdhī." Both read "mayyit" (incurable, fatal) instead of ʿayītu, but as the next word is almost illegible, the only way to decide between the two readings is via comparing it with Nissim's other מs and עs. Goitein reads "wajba" instead of "wajjahtu" and understands it as "the prescription of the doctor." Goitein suggests that he is "sitting on his heels" five times or more in order to urinate, whereas Gil remains agnostic about why he has to sit down. Perhaps it is simply to rest. Information from Goitein's note card (#27131), and Gil, Kingdom, Vol. 3, #585. VMR. ASE.

Letter from Alexandria to Fustat. In Judaeo-Arabic. Fragment: Bottom half only. Dating: There are reports of men seized for forced labor to dig a ditch around the city. Goitein and Frenkel both suggest that this reference can date the document to 1219 CE, during the fifth crusade. The crusaders besieged Damietta from May 1218 until November 2019 when they finally took it. Evidently, people feared that Alexandria would be next. (See also T-S 16.286, a letter from Alexandria dated 21 October 1219.) This letter reports on the state of the city: "The city is in a dire state because of the digging of the ditch. The city is locked up, and forced labor is imposed upon the population." The writer then gives a detailed report about the medical condition and treatment of a woman who had been injured in an unrelated accident, then discusses some small errands, then an important family affair, and concludes with greetings to at least fifteen persons. Two postscripts are added. "As to Abū l-ʿAlā'—when I arrived, I found the city locked up; no male person could appear in the streets, because he would be taken to the [digging of the] ditch. That's why I was unable to meet him. As to the malḥafa [a blanket serving also as outer garment], the bazaars are locked and no one sells and buys. I am telling you this that you should not think that I am neglectful of your affairs." Regarding the injury of Yumn: "When coming home, I found Yumn—on whom the door fell—in a serious condition. She has been ill for forty days. At the time she was impure and remained in that state; thus all the other members of the household became impure together with her. Only God knows how the situation is; she cries so much that I forget my own tribulations. However, if God wills, she has good prospect for recovery. Her leg is in a case (tābūt) especially made for her. A Christian doctor (ʿarel) treats her and I was told that he did not take any money for her treatment. He at that time was treating the wounded (al-majārīḥ). I did not find any bandage (or plaster/dressing) of palm fibers (marham al-nakhlī) in the house and could not move her; for she cannot get up or sit; she bends forward only a little (qad ittajaha qalīl). Her foot and leg are swollen (manfūkh)." Information and translations from Goitein, Med Soc, V, 56, and note cards #27138–39. This date-palm plaster is recommended for treating wounds and abscesses in the medieval medical literature—a Google search of مرهم نخلي will lead to citations in works by the Andalusians Aḥmad b. ʿIsā al-Hāshimī (d. 1077) and Ibn Zuhr (d. 1162). For Ibn Zuhr, its consistency is like that of honey, and threads are dipped in it before being used to wick fluid out of a wound. Thus, perhaps it is a substance deriving from the date itself, rather than from the palm-fibers. The solution might also be found in Yevr.-Arab. I 1700.22, recto, text block c (PGPID 2724), which may be a recipe for מרהם נכלי. Note also that "ittajaha" in the context of injury or illness most often means "improved" (rather than "bend"), and sick people are often described as "having improved a little" even if they are still in critical condition. The hand of the letter resembles that of T-S 16.272, written by an Alexandrian judge. ASE.

Letter from an unknown writer, probably in Alexandria, to Abū l-Khayr (?) b. Yūsuf, in Fustat, care of Abū l-Ḥasan al-Yahūdī al-Ṣā'igh in the market of the goldsmiths. The letter is in Judaeo-Arabic with the address in Arabic script. The writer is furious that the addressee traveled to Fustat, leaving behind debts in Alexandria and abandoning his wife and children, "may God not reward you," and repeatedly demands that he return immediately. The writer reports that the female slave left for al-Maḥalla 10 days ago, and a terrible rumor reached them that she is either critically ill (marīḍa ʿalā khuṭṭa) or dead. The addressee's wife is also "sick in her knee"; she had a fall, and now cannot sit up or stand up. The writer sends regards to many people including the addressee's sister and her children; Abū Naṣr and his son Salmān (?); and the old woman asks after her daughter. The addressee's other sister, Sitt Riyāḍ, his mother, and everyone in the house ask after the addressee's sister. ASE.