Geniza Lab

Letter sent from Minyat Zifta by Abu al-Baha b. al-Mashmia to his father. The writer reports that his brother was caught by capitation tax collectors and that he had to pay for the entire family. The receipts were written in Ashmum, as they were inhabitants of that town. (Information from Goitein's index cards)

Letter sent to Moshe ha-Kohen dealing with a loan he had given to the congregation and some public affairs. (Information from Goitein's index cards) . Some persons are mentioned: Abu al-faraj ibn al-Tawazi, Abu Imran, Sulayman, Ibn akhu khalfon

Letter, fragmentary, sent to Abu al-Faraj in which the writer informs the recipient that he arrived safely and sends warm greetings to several persons.

Letter from Abū Zikrī to his father Eliyyahu the Judge. In Judaeo-Arabic. Dating: Late 12th or early 13th century. The letter conveys eloquent greetings for Hannuka (recto). Abū Zikrī was sick ever since arriving in [...], but he has started to recover, and now he suffers only the remnants of the illness. He sends regards to numerous family members and friends (verso). In a postscript, he writes, "You know, my master, that the reason for my illness is the death of R. Avraham." And he claims that the reason he has been unable to come in person is that he does not want to [see?] a Fustat that is bereft of Avraham. (Information in part from Mediterranean Society, V, p. 395 and from Goitein's index cards.) ASE

Letter addressed to Abu al-Ḥasan Ali b. Ishaq, dealing with business affairs. Ibrahom is mentioned

Letter in the hand of Berakhot b. Shemuel. Possibly addressed to Avraham Maimonides. In Judaeo-Arabic. The letter is an extremely polite reminder to give the writer some money, perhaps as reimbursement or as a wage from the public funds. "When I observed some delay on the part of the master, which is not his custom. . . . I attributed it to his honor's (al-ḥaḍra) preoccupation with the illness of the master (al-mawlā) and the distraction of his mind and his distance from his country. . . ." It is not entirely clear whether the ḥaḍra and the mawlā are different people or not. "The proof, by God, will be from Sunday onward, and tomorrow is Friday, and I have not received anything except for 2 1/4 raṭls of [bread?]. What I received from the jāmikiyya only lasted through the end of the day today, Thursday, the 2nd of Dhū l-Qaʿda." Someone titled ʿAlam al-Dīn gave the writer 9 1/2 (dirhams?). The writer emphasizes the urgency of his request, "for I am among the dead/perishing." He appends an account of expenses for the week, again referring to the jāmikiyya. The expenses include many foodstuffs as well as the fee for the bathhouse and the launderer. The transcription below includes only the words, not the Coptic numerals given for each item. ASE.

Letter in which the judge Avraham b. Natan Av apologizes for being unable to attend a circumcision ceremony in Fustat because he had been scheduled for another one in Cairo before. The writer asks that his letter of apology be read out during the celebrations. (Information from Mediterranean Society, III, pp. 475, 476)

Letter from a certain Yehuda to a respected person. In Hebrew, rhymed. Formatted like a literary work.

Letter from an unknown writer, possibly in Abū Qīr, addressed to Fustat, al-ʿAṭṭārīn, the shop of Muslim/Musallam al-Kaʿkī. Written in Judaeo-Arabic with the address in Arabic script. Dating: Possibly 11th or early 12th century, based on the trade emporia named. Deals with business in mats (? anṭāʿ). The writer mentions Abū l-Surūr traveling to al-Mahdiyya, Tripoli (Libya), and Byzantium. He complains about the capitation tax and his poor fortune in business. Needs further examination.

Letter of recommendation on behalf of a proselyte. The conversion took place by the time of R. Menahem (b. Sasson?) and the proslyte was imersed. Also mentioned Yehuda ha-sar ha-gadol

Letter in which the writer asks his relative to help him to put together the outfit of his daughter, named Sitt al-Na'am, and sends greetings to three women. (Information from Goitein's index cards)

Letter from the office of Yehoshua Maimonides dealing with the capitation tax and with the kashrut of meat, first half of the 14th c.

Recto: Letter from Abū Naṣr b. Avraham, in Alexandria, to an India trader (probably not Ḥalfon b. Netanel). Dating: 20 Adar II, likely 1448 Seleucid = 1137 CE. Inquiring about arrivals from the India route and describing the general economic depression in Alexandria. A brother of Abū Naṣr adds greetings. (Information from Goitein and Friedman, India Book IV; Hebrew description below.) Verso: Addendum to a letter written by Abū Naṣr b. Avraham, Ḥalfon b. Netanel's representative in Alexandria, possibly to Abū Zikrī Kohen, the representative of the merchants in Fustat. The identification of the sender and addressee was made according to the handwriting, style and content of the letter. The letter reports hard times in Alexandria. The letter testifies to Abu Nasr's involvement in the India trade. Local scarf production is also mentioned. (Information from Frenkel. See additional information in Goitein, Med. Soc. 5:180 no. 36.)

Letter, in which the writer asks the recipient to check if a messengers brought a letter from his brother.

Letter, in which the writer; Yehosef, asks Ḥalfon to lend him some small tables, two trays and two pillows. (Information from Goitein's index cards)

Business letter from Daniel b. Azarya, in his handwriting, sent from Tyre to Fustat. The letter contains details about the commercial activities of Daniel b. Azarya in Tyre, and was probably written to Avraham ha-Kohen b. Yis'haq b. Furat, Fustat. On the back are lines in Arabic script and then Judaeo-Arabic in very large spacing. (Gil, Palestine, vol. 2, pp.634–35, doc. 347.)

Letter from Yaʿqūb b. Isḥāq to Abū ʿImrān [...] and perhaps ultimately to the writer's son (li-waladī). In Judaeo-Arabic (for the letter) and Arabic script (for the address). The writer complains about his distance from his family and his financial straits and inquires about the well-being of his relatives, especially the old woman: "Has she recovered from the illness of her eyes? Has she started to make out things from a distance or from nearby?" Verso: Apart from the address of the letter on recto, there is a second letter, written in Arabic script. Perhaps the response. Needs further examination. ASE

Letter from Khalaf b. Yiṣḥaq, in Aden, to Ḥalfon b. Netanel ha-Levi, in ʿAydhāb. In Judaeo-Arabic. Dating: ca. 1131 CE. Ḥalfon was probably en route back to Fustat from Yemen. Khalaf asks him to distribute gifts to the dignitaries and to deliver some letters. Khalaf discovered that he owes Ḥalfon a quarter dinar. Mentions items that he told Ḥalfon to purchase for Maṣliaḥ Gaʾon. Khalaf also asks Ḥalfon to apologize on his behalf to two cantors in Fustat for not having responded to their letters. (Information from Goitein and Friedman, India Book IV; Hebrew description below.)

Letter, fragmentary, in which the writer complains that a woman's outfit was incomplete and asks for money to buy flour. (Information from Goitein's index cards)

Business letter sent from Alexandria by Avraham b. Farah to Yaʿaqov b. Avraham. The writer describes the difficult situation, probably in North-Africa, and writes about a merchant who had been lost on the road and almost died before he was found and brought to a ship. He also describes the movement of ships and merchandise in Alexandria and mentions taxes. Dated June 20, 1054. (Information from Gil)