Geniza Lab

Page from a compilation in Ottoman Turkish of excerpts of elegant letters and poetry attributed to specific authors (whose names are indicated in red ink). The quotation on the left of the recto is dated 1172 AH, which is 1758/59 CE, and the author's name in red below it is "يحيى چاوش / Yaḥya Çavuş." Much of the text appears to rhyme given the repetition and alternation of suffixes across line pairings. Although the format of this page fragment is suggestive of the existence of a wider bound compilation, the empty columns on the verso may indicate that this was an unfinished work in progress. MCD.

Letter in Ottoman Turkish to the sultan that references at least three imperial officials and the transfer a thousand qantars of gunpowder "bārūt" (l. 5) from Rashid to Alexandria. Given the presence of Ottoman garrisons in each port, this detail helps date the document as post-1517CE. In the opening lines beneath the phrase "Sulṭānım / my Sultan" there is reference to the Sultan's order/decree "buyuruldu" (l. 4r) in connection with the appointment of the Dīvān Kâtibī Meḥmed Efendi. The appointee's reputation is confirmed as that of "a good man / iyi bir adām" (l. 4r). In the lower left corner, the letter sender has signed and while much of his signature remains unclear, he held the title "اغا". The other imperial officials who are mentioned appear in the right margin: Ibrahīm Çelebi (l. 5r) and in the upper margin: Defterdâr Ḥālazâde Kenān Efendi (l. 1-2r). MCD with information provided kindly by Dr. Ozgen Felek.

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.

Letter in Ottoman Turkish addressed to Maʿallim Salmūn in Alexandria from Sulaymān Bostancı[?] dating from the sixteenth-eighteenth centuries. There is some damage to the sender's signature but if this reading of his title is correct, this may be a letter sent from Istanbul by a member of the Imperial Guard / Bostancı corps. This seems plausible given that the letter mentions at least four other members of the Ottoman military– Sinān Ağa, Qāsim Ağa, ʿİssa Ağa, and Meḥmed Aǧa. These state functionaries, are occasionally referenced as such i.e. "Sinān Ağa ṣaḥib-i devlet / protector of the state" (l. 8). One other business partner is mentioned in line four, a certain Maʿallam İsḥāk. Much of the letter's contents are related to payments and other correspondence between those referenced. The verso bears two ink stamps and an address on the upper fold, which suggests that this letter was likely sent and received by the recipient Muʿallim Salmūn. MCD.

Literary. Ilm-i Hal manual, a sort of Muslim catechism, written in Ottoman Turkish. Information from Jane Hathaway.

Letter in Ottoman Turkish addressed to Salmūn who the sender Hafız Server Ağa addresses in the incipit as: "benim rūhum, mu’allam Salmūn" (my spirit, [the] learned Salmūn). The sender hopes that that the letter carrier, Murād, will be received favorably by Salmūn and confirms that he is a trustworthy in his services. Hafız Server Ağa also sends best wishes to Salmūn for the new year: "ve yeni sene mübarek olsun" (and may the new year be a blessing to you). The sender's title Server Ağa is a military title and "server" denotes a higher rank of "Chief Ağa" though it is unclear in which unit he served of the seven regiments of Ottoman Egypt. Given the terse tone of the letter it's possible it was bundled with other correspondence in an effort to introduce Salmūn to a new letter carrier than Hafız Server Ağa had used previously. MCD with information provided kindly by Dr. Özgen Felek.