Geniza Lab

Small fragment of a Judaeo-Arabic letter, mentioning a Moshe.

Small fragment of a Judaeo-Arabic letter.

Recto: Letter from Simḥa Kohen in Alexandria to Abū l-Faraj in Fusṭāṭ, early 12th century. In Judaeo-Arabic. The letter deals largely with business transactions, including in ṭurūḥ (veils?). The writer mentions a certain Levantine person (al-shakhṣ al-shāmī maʿrifat [...]); says that he seldom "goes in or out [of Fusṭāṭ?]" and only relies on one person to do his purchases for him. In the margin, he gives a bleak account of economic conditions in "al-balad" (probably Alexandria): it is not possible to purchase a certain garment or type of flax ("ḥattā l-maqāṭiʿ al-quṭn. . . inqaṭaʿat min al-balad"); "no one enters from the Rīf with anything [to sell]"; conditions here "are as you have heard, they do not require commentary, may God improve them"; "few people have flour"; "may God nullify the evil decree in His mercy for the sake of His name." He then returns to business matters. "If you desire the rest of the amount, it will reach you. However, Abū Ṭāhir said that these ṭurūh are available in Fusṭāṭ even more than here in the balad, and that they . . . Cairo." He mentions making a profit of 15 dirhams, and he mentions someone named Manṣūr (another 'slave' of the addressee). Ibrahīm and Yūsuf also send greetings. Verso: An account (donation list?) in Judaeo-Arabic headed "Shabbat of Vayehi Miketz" and including names such as Avraham al-Maghribi, Yūsuf Kamān (?), Manṣūr al-Zayyāt, and Makārim. ASE.

Either one letter with both Judaeo-Arabic and Arabic components or two different letters. In the main, Judaeo-Arabic text, the writer greets al-Ḥakīm and Shaykh al-Makīn (sic) and his wife and Faḍl and the community and the neighbors, and reports that ʿAfīf sends regards. The text of the letter is quite faded but mostly has to do with silver coins (al-fulūs alladhī qult lī ʿalayhum) and the arrival and departure (?) of a boat. The Judaeo-Arabic text on verso is difficult to read but appears to mention Jujar. The Arabic text on verso is also faded. It includes the phrase "I arrived home from [...]" and "the 12th of the month of [...]." ASE.

Fragment of a late document in Judaeo-Arabic, probably a letter.

Small fragment of a letter in Judaeo-Arabic to the Square of the [Perfumers?], to al-Ḥazzan Abū Yaʿqūb. Mainly notable for including the rare word "al-hirjās" (אלהרגאס), which apparently means either jasīm (corpulent) or jirhās (lion). Almost no context is preserved.

Fragment of a letter in Judaeo-Arabic to ha-Dayyan ha-Meẓuyan, Me'ir ben Naʿim, dated Aug/Sept 1824 CE (Elul 5584).

Fragment of a Judaeo-Arabic letter, quite faded, mentioning Alexandria, the boat of Ibn [...], how the writer left Fusṭāṭ preoccupied on behalf of something to do with his maternal aunt's house in Cairo al-Muʿizziya.

"The three fragments known as JRL SERIES A 1053, JRL SERIES B 2699, and JRL SERIES B 2977 are from three copies of another invitation, printed in French, to the wedding of Mr. Moise Mosseri (c. 1855-1933) and Miss Henriette Nahmias (1868-1943). The Mosseris were a famous Cairene banking family,[2] which may give a sense of who could afford to have invitations professionally printed in the late nineteenth century. French documents are also rare in the Genizah,[3] but someone – a young Mosseri being the likely culprit – has re-used the back of these invitations to practice the Hebrew alphabet." Nick Posegay, FOTM June 2020.

Letter fragment in Judaeo-Arabic mentioning Salonica and Constantinople.

Beginning of a letter to an important person, "mordekhai ha-zeman," etc. Not much content remains. The writer mentions a ṣabbāgh and a ḍāmin.

Fragment of a Judaeo-Arabic letter with wide space between the lines, probably too faded to read.

Fragment (left half of recto, right side of verso) of an 11th-century business letter to Musa b. Yiṣḥaq of Sfax.

Late business letter in Hebrew signed by ha-ẓāʿir Me'ir [...] and mentioning pearls. Needs further examination.

Fragment of a letter in Judaeo-Arabic, preserving the first couple words of each line and the right margin.

Left side of a letter in Ladino.

Probably a letter in Judaeo-Arabic, very messy handwriting, some Arabic script is present as well.

Possibly a fragment of a letter in Judaeo-Arabic. Perhaps relevant to communal politics if read closely. "As for what he said . . . al-wulā wa-l-fuqahā wa-l-shuhūd, this is the opposite of what he said in public--that he would be appointed (?) over them and serve them in the interests of the situation of the Jews bi-jāhihi wa-ṣanʿatihi."

Recto and first line of verso: Hebrew letter to Gabriel Conforte. The author of the letter mentions a number of books he has received, among which the responsa of David ben Solomon ibn Abi Zimra (fl. 1513-1573). Remainder of verso: Ladino letter, perhaps the response to the Hebrew letter. Information from FGP.

Fragment of a Judaeo-Arabic letter, mentioning al-jamāʿa al-muqaddasa.