Geniza Lab

Letter fragment addressed to the dignitary Abū Isḥāq Ibrāhīm b. Isḥāq Ibn al-Furāt (aka Avraham b. Yiṣḥaq ha-Kohen), sent either to or from al-Ramla. Only the first two lines (in Hebrew) and the address (in Arabic script) are preserved. Dating: ca. mid-11th century.

Letter fragment in Arabic script. Mentioning tutty (tūtiyā) and camphor (kāfūr) and spikenard (sunbul).

Recto: Letter, or possibly a legal document. In Arabic script. Fragmentary (lower right corner). Mentions a collector of funds of some kind (jābī l-muwāzana).

Letter fragment, it seems. In Arabic script. Needs examination.

Letter, probably. Written in Arabic script. Needs examination.

Letter fragment in Arabic script.

Letter(s) in Arabic script. Addressed to 'our son Sulaymān' in 'al-Maḥrūsa' (Fustat/Cairo), Ḥārat al-Yahud. Dating: Late, probably 18th or 19th century. The last line of the first section seems to be a verse of poetry, probably referring to separation rather than to an actual dispute: "And when God's decree persists between me and you (pl.), I will die a stranger, wa-l-salāmu ʿalaykumū." The next section begins by addressing itself to 'our beloved daughter Sarah' and continues with wishes for her good health and informing her of the writers' good health and their yearning to see her. The letter is written in semi-colloquial Arabic. (Information in part from JRL Catalogue.)

Informal note in Arabic script. Addressed to [...] Manṣūr. Contains the glyph. Dating: Perhaps 12th or 13th century. The sender gives various instructions, including not to depart before the two of them meet.

Letter in Arabic script. Only a few lines from near the beginning are preserved. Mentions "my paternal uncle Jibrīl." On verso there are jottings of accounts in Arabic script.

Letter in Arabic script. The bottom 9 lines are preserved. Mentions Raḍiyy al-Dawla; sending things; possibly someone named ʿAbd al-Masīḥ; the intriguing line "Woe to the people of Aswān from [...]" (l. 4); and various greetings. Needs further examination.

Letter addressed to Abū Saʿd. In Arabic script. The sender begs for an urgent loan of 5 dirhams, because he is sick. He will try to repay it when he can leave the house (and get back to work). The bottom is damaged, and the end may be missing. Verso is blank. (Information in part from JRL catalogue.)

Letter addressed to a Muslim dignitary with many lines of titles (al-malikī al-kāmilī... al-zāhid...). In Arabic script. The sender seems to wish to purchase some property from him. Needs examination.

Note addressed to al-Shaykh al-Ṣafiyy. In Arabic script. Has the glyph. Dating: Likely 12th or 13th century. The first 4 lines are completely preserved and the beginnings of 3 more lines are preserved. Contains a brief update on business goods and regards to somebody. The JRL catalogue lists this as a join with JRL Gaster ar. 380, but if it is, the join is not continuous.

Letter addressed to Umm ʿAbdallāh. In Arabic script. Rebuking her for not keeping the sender updated with her news. On verso there is a list of some sort, in a different hand.

Small fragment of a letter in Arabic script. Written in large characters in a chancery-esque hand. The sender is Jewish as he swears by the Torah (bi-ḥaqq al-Tawrāh). On verso there are fragments of two lines of Arabic in a different hand (... min al-wilāya... [...] b. al-Ḥasan b. Aḥmad al-[...]).

Small fragment of a letter in Arabic script.

Letter of appeal from Yefet addressed to al-Shaykh al-Raḍiyy. In Arabic script, with the sender's name in Hebrew script. He begs for a small sum of money and/or bread. "By your religion... Do not turn away my messenger empty-handed." On verso there are two more lines of Arabic text connected to the letter and some jottings that include Greek/Coptic numerals.

Letter or order addressed to [...] Quṭb al-Dīn. In Arabic script. Dating: Might be late, perhaps 14th century or later. The sender asks for a syrup of [...] violet, a paste of [...], and a paste of lavender. On verso there are accounts of some sort, also in Arabic script.

Letter, probably. In Arabic script. The beginnings of 11 lines are preserved.

Letter in Ottoman Turkish(?). Needs examination.