Geniza Lab

Letter of condolence from Eli ha-Mumhe b. Avraham, Jerusalem, to Hesed ha-Tustari, Fustat, end of 1045 or beginning of 1046.

Letter from (Abū Saʿd) Ibrāhīm b. Sahl al-Tustarī (d. 1048) to [...] b. ʿAzarya. In Arabic script. The most common [...] b. ʿAzarya in the Geniza is Daniel b. ʿAzarya, but there are also attestations of Yosef b. ʿAzarya, Efrayim b. ʿAzarya, and Shemuel b. ʿAzarya. The last of these, Shemuel b. ʿAzarya b. Mevasser, is known to have been a Qaraite leader in Fustat (he is the addressee of Bodl. MS heb. b 11/10), so he may be the best candidate here. Only the address on verso and the first two lines on recto have been preserved. Reused for something that is probably a Hebrew literary text, but could potentially be a communal letter or a copy of one. Needs examination. ASE

Letter in Arabic script, in a beautiful hand. Dating: 11th century, based on the reference to the Tustaris. The sender is a professional scribe, probably Jewish (refers to Yom Kippur in v2) and probably a high-placed Qaraite—if the addressee fulfills his request, he will praise him before “the judges, and our elders the government officials (kuttāb), and the Tustarīs” (v9). The addressee might not be Jewish, as a Jew would not have to be told that Yom Kippur is the 10th of Tishrei. The letter contains a detailed update on a court case or some conflict revolving around book copying and book dealing. Mentions an agreement with Abū Isḥāq; liberating some money or goods from "that which they have taken this time," especially two volumes from the owner (or author?) of Dār al-Gharb(?). But the sender has been unsuccessful. Mentions a book called Taṭrīz al-Khiṭāb wa-Sharḥ al-Ṭalab, and refers to a copy in the sender's own hand that occupies five volumes (wa-dhālika awwalan al-nusakh al-mansūkha khams ajzāʾ); the material is parchment, and the value is 15 dinars. Needs further examination. ASE

A Karaite (specifically Tustari) post festum calendar listing the dates of the new moons (by observation) for the years 1357–59 Seleucid, corresponding to 1045–48 CE. Edited by Gil in his book on the Tustaris. Cf. T-S NS J609, a similar calendar from ~5 years later. (Information in part from Goitein’s index card)

Recto: part of a large letter to the courtier Avraham b. Yashar (Abraham b. Sahl Tustari). The writer wishes him recovery from his illness, and has been praying for his health. He sends greetings to Avraham’s son Yefet (Abu 'Ali al-Ḥasan), who is to be married soon. The date is unknown but must be earlier than Avraham's death in 1047 CE. Biblical quotations are vocalised. The writer had sent a previous letter with illness-related quotations from the sages, and this letter presents illness-related verses from the Bible. The theme is that God sends illness as a trial only to the most righteous. Verso: a calligraphic Karaite legal document (engagement deed or ketubba?). Dated Sunday, the 11th of Nisan xxx4, from somewhere on the Nile (Pishon), probably Fustat. The groom is the Nasi David Yedidyah b. Yoshiyahu b. Shelomo b. [Da]vid b. Bo'az b. Yeshoshafat b. Yoshiyahu b. Sha'ul b. 'Anan. The bride is Bahiyyah bt. Shelomo b. Se'adyah. Information in part from the Cambridge University Digital Library. ASE.

Recto: Letter from an unknown writer, in Ramle, to an unknown addressee, in Fustat. In Judaeo-Arabic. Dating: 11th century. "When, on a rainy day, the qadi of Ramle ordered a Jewish merchant to proceed to Egypt under the supervision of a guard (which was a costly affair), Muslims and Jews present (in this order) had mercy for him and persuaded the qadi to grant him a stay of fifteen days." "The writer carried with him goods belonging to Abū Naṣr, probably the famous Tustari, of Cairo, for which he had no sufficient authority. A delegate of the qadi was to accompany him so that he might not sell part of the goods on his way, for instance in Ascalon. Fifteen days were pIenty of time for a letter going to Cairo and coming back with Abū Naṣr's instructions to the qadi. The writer mentions also that he did not feel well that day (wa-anā wajiʿ). For the legal term rassam, see Med Soc II, 372 and 609, n. 46." Verso: list of names, including Abū l-Surūr and Abū Manṣūr. Information from CUDL and Goitein, Med Soc V, 534–535.

Recto: A letter in Arabic script regarding a suftaja (bill of exchange) and mentioning Abū Saʿd al-Tustarī and [...] b. Yaʿqūb al-Tustarī. Verso: Accounts in Judaeo-Arabic for three different types of indigo: jūdī, sindānī, and ʿamtānī. Information from Goitein's note card.

Letter from Yehuda b. Yosef Ibn al-Haniyy al-Andalusī, in an unknown location, to Abū l-Faḍl Ḥesed b. Sahl al-Tustarī, in Fustat. In Judaeo-Arabic, with the address in both Judaeo-Arabic and Arabic script. Dating: ca. 1040 CE. The purpose of the letter is to make progress in settling business accounts.

Letter from Sulaymān b. ʿAlī, unknown location, to Abū Saʿīd Yaʿqūb, Abū Yaʿqūb Yūsuf, and Abū Sahl Saʿīd the sons of Yisra'el (al-Tustari). In Judaeo-Persian, with the address in Arabic (in Arabic script). Abū Yaʿqūb and and Abū Sahl are probably two of the well-known Tustari brothers. The fragment is labeled "L7" in Shaul Shaked's (unpublished) classification of Early Judeo-Persian texts. OH

Accounts in Judaeo-Arabic. Small fragment. ״From Abū l-Ḥusayn b. Levi... 21 in the house of the qāḍī..." Written at 180 degrees in Arabic script, twice: Abū Manṣūr al-Tustarī al-Kātib.

Letter addressed to a dignitary named Yefet. Opens with Hebrew praises and wishes for a speedy recovery, then switches into Arabic (in Arabic script) for the body of the letter, which opens with a quotation from the Qaraite sage Yūsuf al-Baṣīr (fl. early 11th century). The continuation of the letter is lost. The Yefet in question may well be Ḥasan/Yefet b. Abī Saʿd Ibrāhīm al-Tustarī, on whom see further T-S 16.50, given the Qaraite content, the grand titles of the addressee, and the fact that he's called ḥemdat ha-nesiʾut (his father-in-law was the Qaraite nasi Ḥizqiyahu). This presumably dates from some time between his marriage ca. 1040–47 and his conversion to Islam ca. 1064. (Alan Elbaum and Marina Rustow)

Recto: Karaite calendar giving the dates of the new moon by observation for a portion of the year 1362 Seleucid (1050/51 CE). Edited by Gil in his book on the Tustaris. Cf. ENA 4010.35 + ENA 4196.15, a related calendar for the years 1045–48 CE. This fragment was reused for business accounts in Judaeo-Arabic (see separate record.)