Geniza Lab

Order for a quantity of apple syrup from al-Asʿad. Possibly in the hand of Shelomo b. Eliyyahu. This was left incomplete. There is one line in Arabic script underneath.

Fragment of a will of the teacher Sittuna bat Avraham the parnas. She leaves a property to the son of her sister's daughter, who will pay her funeral expenses out of the income of this property, and her personal belongings to her sister's daughter. (Information from Goitein's index cards)

Legal document(s). In Hebrew. One side is very faded. The other side mentions: Maṣliaḥ; Moshe b. Yaʿāqov; [...] b. Natan; a punishment; a Spaniard (ha-Sefarad[i]); the month of Ṭevet.

Legal document from the time of Avraham Maimonides. Small fragment from the beginning.

Receipt of some kind. Mentions a ḥaver; "this document/letter"; and that Abū Zikrī delivered the goods, including a burniyya, something miṣrī, and a kerchief (? khirqa) containing [...].

Legal document(s) in Hebrew. Late. Very faded

Deed of sale of a house. Dated 1483/1171-72. The 'Ha-rav ha-gadol be-yisrael' in line 2 is doubtless Moses Maimonides, who was at that time head of the Jews. (Information from Goitein's index cards)

Legal document. Extremely faded. Fragmentary (upper left corner). Mainly in Judaeo-Arabic. The portion preserved here consists of the identification of the party or parties and a capacity clause.

Legal document, probably. Small fragment. Looks like the hand of Shemuel b. Seʿadya. Mentions a deposit.

Receipt or affidavit signed by Shelomo ha-Rofe. In Judaeo-Arabic. Dating: Perhaps 13th or 14th century. Attesting that Meʾir and his son Yehuda Abū Shaʿra rented a house in an arcade/portico (riwāq), perhaps owned by R. Yiṣḥaq. They were never late in paying rent. They have now moved out and returned the key. (Information in part from CUDL.)

Order of payment signed by Abū Zikrī Kohen, asking Abū l-Khayr Khiyār to pay out the price of the gypsum (3 dinars) to the bearer of the note. Dated: Av 1452 Seleucid = 1141 CE. (Information in part from CUDL)

Legal document mentioning Mevorakh and Abraham b. Jacob. Signed by ʿUllā ha-Levi b. Joseph, ʿAmram b. Abraham, Nathaniel b. ʿAmram and Meshullam b. Nathaniel (Nathaniel signed for both of the latter). (Information from CUDL)

Legal document, probably including a summary of accounts for an organisation in the community, dated Tishri 1359 (?) of the Seleucid Era (= 1048 CE). Includes a long list with names, such as [...] b. ʿAllūn known as Ibn al-[..]ān, and Isaac. Signed by Ḥayyim, Joseph, ʿEli b. [...], and ʿEli ha-Kohen. Signatures embellished with mottos. (Information from CUDL)

Recto: Hebrew legal deed of quittance, mentioning names such as Mawhūb b. [...] and Ezekiel b. [...]. Verso: possibly part of a discussion regarding books on Muslim fiqh. (Information from CUDL)

Legal document mentioning Abraham. (Information from CUDL)

Legal document. (Information from CUDL)

Ketubba. Fragment (first few lines only). Dated: 27 Shevat 1282 Seleucid, which is 970/71 CE. (Information from Moshe Yagur.)

Court deed. Beautifully written. Fragment (first few lines only). Dated: Tishrei (Sukkot) 413 AH, which is 133[4] Seleucid, which is 1022 CE. It breaks off here. (Information in part from Moshe Yagur.)

Naba, the son of Abu al-Barakat, the son of Yosef Lebdi, appoints two attorneys to settle his claim over 'sugar, sugar molasses (qatara) and (other) goods'. Friedman identifies the handwriting to be that of Avraham Maimonides. This is important due to the legal terminology in the document. The appointment is carried out not only by the legal transfer of four cubits in the land of Israel, but also through the threshold of the house he inherited from his father. This draft was written in Fustat, before 1237.

Legal document dated Av 1446 of the Seleucid Era (= 1135 CE) in the town [..]דמ (possibly Damascus, Dammūh, Damīra, Damsis or Damietta). Mentions the name Menashshe, with signatures by Yefet b. Ṣedaqa and Shela ha-Levi b. Ṭoviyya. (Information from CUDL)