Geniza Lab

Letter from Semah from Palermo, to Nahray b. Nissim, Alexandria. Around 1055. Mentions import of flax from Egypt to Palermo and exports of silk and lead from Sicily to Egypt. Also mentions the ship of Ibn al-Baʿbāʿ (r19 and v7), the qunbār of the amīr (v7) and the qārib of the vizier (v7). (Information from Gil, Kingdom, Vol. 4, #789)

Letter from Musa b. Abi al-Hayy, from Alexandria, to Nahray b. Nissim, Fustat. Around 1060. Regarding shipments of goods, mainly beads, linen, and lead. Mentions trading with al-Andalus. Musa b. Abi al-Hayy doesn’t want to risk sending all the goods and money immediately. It seems that Marduk b. Musa also participated in the writing the letter. (Information from Gil, Kingdom, Vol. 3, #450) VMR

Letter from Mardūk b. Mūsā to Nahray b. Nissim.

Private account written by Nahray b. Nissim, ca. 1055. Mentions silk from Sicily and Spain. (Information from Gil, Kingdom, Vol. 2, #278) VMR

Account in Arabic script written by Nahray b. Nissim, ca. 1055. (Information from Gil, Kingdom, Vol. 2, #279) VMR

Note in the hand of Nissim b. Iṣḥaq al-Tāhirtī, ca. 1050, written for himself and for Nahray b. Nissim. Records details of a shipment of beads, pearls and wax. Half of the note is in Hebrew characters and the other half is in Arabic characters. Verso is blank. See Goitein notes linked below. (Information from Gil, Kingdom, Vol. 3, p. 338 and Goitein, typed texts.)

Letter from Yeshuʿa b. Ismaʿīl al-Makhmūrī (Alexandria) to Nahray b. Nissim. Dating: ca. 1060. The writer is interested in buying tin because it is in demand among traders from Palestine. The letter contains some personal details about Yeshuʿa b. Ismaʿīl al-Makhmūrī, who became widowed and was alone for a long time before getting married again to a sister of ʿEzra b. Hillel. He has also been suffering from an illness that affected his hip (wark). Those who visited him 'frightened' him (by despairing of his health). He is doing somewhat better than before and asks for Nahray's prayers. (Information from Gil, Kingdom, Vol. 3, p. 18. See Goitein notes linked below.) ASE.

Letter from Yeshuʿa b. Ismaʿīl al-Makhmūrī (Alexandria) to Nahray b. Nissim, ca. 1060. The writer tells Nahray b. Nissim about the news in Alexandria and informs him about the arrival of traders from Byzantium. (Information from Gil, Kingdom, Vol. 3, p. 4.) The Byzantine traders cannot access the quality of the goods and buy high and low quality goods for the same price. (Information from Goitein notes linked below.)

Accounts in the hand of Nahray b. Nissim. (Information from Gil, Kingdom, Vol. 3, pp. 303-304.) See PGPID 469 for transcription.

Letter from Barhūn b. Yisḥaq al-Tāhirti to Nahray b. Nissim. Dating: 1045–96 CE. The sons of the late Nagid, who are owed favors, have asked Barhūn to help their cousin (ibn khāl) travel to Alexandria. Barhūn wonders if Nahray might take him along when he travels. Barhūn has already asked a certain Abū Isḥāq (apparently another Barhūn) to give the cousin 50 dirhams. Nahray should make sure Abū Isḥāq has done that, and perhaps he can also contribute some money of his own. (Information from Gil, Kingdom, Vol. 3, pp. 303-304.)

Letter from Ismaʿīl b. Faraḥ (Alexandria) to Nahray b. Nissim (Fustat), 9 September 1056. Confirms the arrival of goods and letters and sends information about the arrival of ships from Palermo and about some terrifying events in the Maghreb, especially in Susa (see details in Goitein notes linked below). Includes orders for goods that are expected in Alexandria, where many foreign traders are present, as well as details of money transfers. (Information from Gil, Kingdom, Vol. 3, p. 628.)

Letter from Elḥanan b. Ismaʿīl al-Tāhirtī and Barhūn al-Tāhirtī (Fustat) to Nahray b. Nissim and ʿAyyāsh b. Ṣedaqa, ca. 1050. In the hand of Elḥanan b. Ismaʿīl. The writer gives details of consignments of flax send with two different ships. (Information from Gil, Kingdom, Vol. 3, p. 310. See also Goitein notes linked below.)

Letter from Nissim b. Ḥalfon to Nahray b. Nissim (Fustat), ca. 1055, sent as an addendum to an earlier letter, which has not been identified. Nissim b. Ḥalfon sends rose water and raisins, enquires about textiles prices and asks Nahray to sell the silk (lāsīn) that he had sent to Fustat. (Information from Gil, Kingdom, Vol. 3, p. 960.) Informs Nahray that the fleet of ships that sailed from Tyre is expected to arrive this week. (Information from Goitein notes linked below.)

Letter from Mardūk b. Mūsā to Nahray b. Nissim. In addition to some words about the trade of clothes, Marduk asks Nahray to assist a man who is coming to Fustat soon; the man's name has been lost.

Accounts in the hand of Nissim b. Ḥalfon, presented to Nahray b. Nissim; 1066 CE. Lists payments for various goods, made either directly or through others, and gives details of various shipments, some of them to Tripoli, Libya. Mentions skins, textiles, beads, sugar, red wood, ammonia, furs, lead, baked goods, wine, meat, camphor, wax, tin, cloves, pearls and laque. (Information from Gil, Kingdom, Vol. 3, p. 986.)

Letter (tadhkira, memorandum) on two sheets of paper, written and signed by Menashshe b. David al-Ṣayrafī, probably in Fustat, probably to Nahray b. Nissim, perhaps in Qayrawān. In Judaeo-Arabic. Dating: ca. 1050 CE. Gil deduces that the addressee is Nahray b. Nissim from the fact that the letter mentions that Ukhuwwa (the Muslim ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz) wished to do business with the addressee and with Barhūn b. Mūsā al-Tahirtī, and the latter was Nahray's most established business partner (and his cousin). The letter deals with problems communicating with people in Alexandria by letter, and mentions a consignment of oil. Menashshe opens by asking the addressee to intervene on his behalf with Abū Ibrāhīm Ismāʿīl, who had cut off his correspondence with Menashshe for the last year. "If it is due to something I did or a fault of mine, perhaps it is something I can rectify or apologize for, and if it is the 'neglect due to illness' or the like, I have seen his letters to other people, such as to Maṭar and to you, many of them" (recto of the first sheet, lines 6–11). (Information from Gil, Kingdom, Vol. 4, p. 499. See also Goitein notes linked below.) ASE.

Letter from Natan b. Nahray (Alexandria) to Nahray b. Nissim (Fustat), ca. 1065. Mentions a silk cloak ordered by Nahray and shoes that were sent to him but did not arrive. Natan b. Nahray asks Nahray to send him some wine. (Information from Gil, Kingdom, Vol. 3, p. 426 and from Goitein notes linked below.)

A short, but complete note to Nahray from one of his brothers-in-law, ca. 1045-1096.

Letter from Yisrael b. Natan, from Alexandria, to Nahray b. Nissim, Qayrawan. Around 1045. The writer is still in Egypt (before he moved to Byzantium) and his cousin, Nahray, did not leave the Maghreb yet. Israel writes information for Nahray about purchases he made in Egypt. He bought goods from Abu Naser, who is Hesed b. Yashar ha-Tustari. Mentions details about several people and trades, mainly of pearls and beads. (Information from Gil, Kingdom, Vol. 3, #408) VMR

Letter from Barhūn b. Yiṣḥaq ha-Tahirti, in al-Mahdiyya, to Nahray b. Nissim, probably in Alexandria. Dating: ca. 1045 CE. Nahray is sending goods to the Maghreb and selling goods that he receives from Barhūn and vice versa, Barhūn sells goods in the Maghreb and sends goods to Egypt. They both also buy goods. The writer mentions a business collaboration with Abu Naṣr Ḥesed ha-Tustari and a partnership with Abū l-Qāsim ʿAbd al-Raḥmān in trading gems. T-S K25.253 (PGPID 8595) is another copy of the same letter (from l. 31 onward). (Information from Gil, Kingdom, Vol. 3, #377 and Goitein's index cards.) VMR