Geniza Lab

Late letter that begins in Hebrew and transitions into Judaeo-Arabic from an unidentified merchant to Yosef Muḥibb. He writes that he traveled this year to Tripoli (Libya?) to look for a Jew who took 100 peraḥim from him and fled to Venice. He was not successful. He has purchased garments and sent them with Saadya Kohen and Yaʿaqov b. Hīnī (also mentioned in ENA NS 50.25) to try to sell. Recto is damaged, but deals almost entirely with business matters. He mentions R. Yosef Nahon (?) who died after a year of being bedridden and consuming half of his wealth. In his will, he left 200 peraḥim for the study of Torah and for the visiting of the ill and for the poor. The writer also mentions the addressee's brother Khubayr, his own nephew Yosef, and Shelomo Abulafia. The addressee's sister Maḥbūba sends her regards and urges him to take care of their other sister and find a husband for her. On verso he returns to business matters and requests a Cypriot commodity (קוברסי/קוברסיין) and orders tin (קזדיר) from a place called גמאע אלטיילון. He mentions Yaʿaqov Bū Saʿda and David al-Ashqar. ASE.

Letter from the community of Tripoli (Lebanon) to Hesed Ha-Tustari. 1025. See also PGPID 766.

Letter from a Jewish woman, in or near Tripoli (Lebanon), to her brother-in-law, in Fustat. In Judaeo-Arabic. She is a refugee from Jerusalem who has suffered at the hands of the invading Seljuk Turks in the 1070s CE. She had to flee from Jerusalem to Tripoli, where she reports on the carnage she witnessed: ‘I was with him on the day I saw them killed in terrible fashion... I am an ill woman on the brink of insanity, on top of the hunger of my family and the little girl who are all with me, and the horrid news I heard about my son.’ She suggests it would be better to be captured since those in captivity ‘find someone who gives them food and drink’, whereas uncaptured, she and her children are starving. (Information in part from CUDL.)

Letter from Yosef b. Sahl ha-Bardani in Tripoli, Lebanon, to Nahray b. Nissim in Fustat, ca. 1060.

Writ of agency which was written in Tarablus al-Sham between 'Ulla Halrvi and Yeshu'a Pride of the Communities. Signed by Yehuda Hakohen b. Nathan, Halfob Hakohen b. Aharon, Ibrahim b. Salih, Nahum b. Yanai, Mushafir b. Zedaqa, Shelomo b. Halfon, Shmuel b. Aharon. The qiyyum is signed by Yater Levi b. Shilo, Shelomo b. Ishaq b. Meir Gaon, Saloh b. Yivhar ha-Haver, Ya'aqoc b. Yosef. AA