Geniza Lab

Legal document. In Judaeo-Arabic. Dated: 915 AH, which is 1509/10 CE. It attests that Ṣadaqa and his brother Shemuel known as the sons of Ḥawwāsh received all that was due to them from the inheritance of their late sister ʿAzīza, the wife of ʿAbd al-Ghaffār al-Ḥaqqān. The possessions she left are listed, amounting to about 80 distinct items, mostly garments.

Legal document. Dated: Tuesday, 20 Heshvan 5549 AM, which is 1788 CE. Involves Yaʿaqov Levi b. Avraham Hītī (? היתי) and a sum of 80 "dīwānī reals" and a partnership with Eliyyahu Ḥakham known as Maʿānī b. Avraham ha-Ḥakham. No signatures. Needs further examination.

Betrothal contract, Qaraite. Dated: Tuesday, 19 Kislev 1857 Seleucid, which is 1545/46 CE. Location: Probably Fustat/Cairo. Venue: House of Eliyyahu b. Fayrūz Rosh Bet Din. Groom: Ibrāhīm b. Yehuda al-Ḥakīm. Bride: The daughter of ʿAbd al-Maqṣūd al-Ḥāshir. Early marriage payment: 15 bunduqī, of which 12 are to be given before the marriage and the remaining 3 prior to Nisan of the second year of marriage. Delayed marriage payment: 400 large medins ("halves"), 50 "for what is secret between them(?)" and 350 in case of divorce. Scribed and signed by Netan'el b. Aharon ha-Somekh.

Debt contract. In Judaeo-Arabic. Dated: 27 Kislev 5346 AM, which is 1585 CE. Venue: The Dār al-Khāzin synagogue. Ṣadaqa ha-Levi attests that he owes 500 medins to his brother-in-law Avraham ha-Levi b. David Shaykh al-Yahūd. Signed: Eliyyahu Fūlādhī Ḥazzan; Avraham b. Yeshaʿya Tawrīzī.

Reconciliation agreement between husband and wife. Dated: 6 Tammuz 5415 AM, which is 1655 CE.

Marriage (prenuptial) document. Dated: 14 Adar (Purim) 5525 AM, which is 7 March 1765 CE. (Note that the year is covered by a paper flap in the digitized image; this dating is from the catalogue.) Groom: Yaʿaqov b. Shelomo Fayrūz known as Shāmī. Bride: [...] the sister of Hibatallāh bt. ʿEzra Rofe known as Fayrūz. Currency: zeri maḥbūb.

Legal document. Dated: Thursday, 29 Adar 5539 AM (=Ṣafar 1193 AH), which is 1779 CE. Avraham Fayrūz b. Eliyyahu Fayrūz known as Shuwaykh makes arrangements for the inheritance of his late wife Marḥaba bt. Naḥum Kohen known as Ḥāṭūm, a sum of 21 Abū Ṭāqa riyals. A portion of it is distributed amongst his sons Eliyyahu, Faraj, and Sulaymān according to a specified schedule.

Court record regarding the monetary agreement between the groom El'azar b. Shelomo known as Fayruz with the bride Zipora d. Sh'aya b. Nahum. It all took place in the house of Yosef b. Binyamin Romi known as Zoref, in front of the witnesses Ya'aqov and Nahum Kohen. the sons of Aharon Kohen known as Hatum, and the 'members'. Signed by Eliyahu Rofe Hazan. AA

Court record that took place in tne house of Eliyahu the physician b. Elisha the physician, in the presence of Yehuda the physician b. Shemuel the physician, Aharon Kohen known as Shami and Shemuel Levi Gabi b. Elya Levi and in the presence of the 'kahal', regarding a deposit from the inheritance of of his brother to kept by the deceased Moshe the physician. Dated Sunday, 15 Tevet, 5496. Signed by Yeshu'a Sofer, Avraham Fayruz, Shelomo Levi known as Karsi, Eliyahu b. Elisha the physician, Ishaq Levi known as Qays, Sa'adya Halevi known as Qays, Aharon Kohen known as Shami.

Legal document. Dated: Friday, 21 Tishrei 5527 AM (1766 CE). Previously the congregation had appointed as their head Shelomo Kohen b. Aharon Kohen and as his deputy Avraham Rofe b. Eliyyahu Rofe. Shortly thereafter, Shelomo was compelled to step down. Now, the congregation is undergoing terrible conflict, with brawling in the synagogue and lawsuits being taken to the Muslim courts. The congregation, together with Avraham Rofe, now approaches Shelomo Kohen and begs him to return to them. He agrees, on condition that everyone undertake to obey the original contract, settling down and behaving righteously and ceasing to fight in the synagogue or bring legal cases before the Muslim courts. Signed: Avraham Rofe b. Eliyyahu Rofe b. Lishaʿ Rofe; [...] b. Yeshuʿa Fayrūz; Shelomo b. Moshe Rofe known as Ṣaʿir.

Recto: Qaraite legal document. In Hebrew. Dated: Monday, 25 Av 5335 AM, which is 1575 CE. The context is a communal struggle over who would assume the position of the late Yaʿaqov, who served as chief cantor (ḥazzan kabir) and beadle (? משרת) in the Dār Simḥa synagogue (כנסת בית שמחה). The judges Aharon and Yosef al-Tawrīzī appointed Yehuda al-Tawrīzī ha-Rofe, because of his beautiful voice and wisdom. He will serve for 3 years without a salary (jāmakiyya). He will officiate at all celebrations and behave humbly with the congregation, his friends and enemies alike. Verso: A draft version of the same document, giving more details about the circumstances. This side clarifies that he will donate his salary to the widow and children of the late Yaʿāqov. Merits further examination.

Legal testimony, Qaraite. In Judaeo-Arabic. Dated: Sunday, 17 Heshvan 5472 AM, which is 1711 CE. It has to do with the floor (ṭabaqa) that is across from the mill, above the house of Raẓon ha-Rofe. The floor belongs to the Qaraite waqf. Elishaʿ and his brother Avraham al-Sākit were living there, and it fell into a ruin. The miller Yūsur Muḥibb sued them to remove the hazardous ruin. They stated that they could not afford to do so, but agreed to vacate their rights to the dwelling and have it revert to the waqf, which would then be responsible for the repairs.

Court notebook, probably. Bifolium. Entries in Judaeo-Arabic. Probably pertaining to the Qaraite court that convened in the Dar Simḥa synagogue (here called Dār Ibn Sameaḥ). Dated: Tishrei through Kislev 1751 Seleucid, which corresponds to the last months of 1439 CE. Includes entries on divorces, marriages, deaths. Also an curious entry documenting that there were rumors about the daughter of ʿAbd al-Laṭīf b. Bashīr(?), somehow connected to the bathhouse of Ibn al-Ashqar, and indeed the rumors were proven true by her pregnancy. "They did to him what was necessary upon the טפטיס (? = taftīsh?). Then, when the קצין told her "go to your father," she said, "No! I don't want to [go to] the religion of the Muslims." The entry is cryptic and these readings are tentative. Another entry mentions the ḥakīm ʿAbd al-Karīm, the head of the court (Av Beit Din). Needs further examination.

Long deed of sale involving Rabbinates and Karaites. Signed by Shelomo Kohen, Eliyahu b. Yisrael, 'Amram Hazan and Avraham Rofe.

A Karaite betrothal deed. The groom Yosef Bekher known as Gedalya b. Aharon. The bride Huna d. Aharon b. Razon the physician. Her agent id Yosef b. Shelomo. Witnessed by Ishaq Levi b. Hamdani, Moshe Melmamed b. Yeshu'a the cantor, her uncle Moshe and her father. Signed by Eliyahu b. Moshe. Dated Wednesday, 15 Sivan, 5519 to the Creation.

Karaite betrothal deed from the year 5347 Era of creation. The groom Yisrael Hakohen b. Shemuel. The bride Esther d. Shemuel Ibn Yahya. The groom is taking upon himself not to travel from Fustat to another country such as al-Sham (except for Jerusalem), and when leavung to Rashid or Alexandria he is permitted to be away only few months (the exact period is faded). He also commit not to curse her parents and to behave nicely. AA

Legal document. In Judaeo-Arabic. Dated: 11 Heshvan = Safar 699 AH, which is November 1299 CE. Abū l-Bahā b. Mukrim(?) Ibn al-Ṣūrī agrees not to involve his daughter Sitt al-Yumn in his ongoing court case with her husband. She agrees to behave well with her husband and not to harass him and not to report untrue things about him to her father. Witness: Moshe ha-Levi b. Yehoshuaʿ. Information in part from Goitein's note card.

Legal agreement between the partners Avraham Levi b. Ya'aqov and [...] Halevi b. Aharon. Signed by Aharon Fairuz, Shemuel Hazan and Ya'aqov Berakha. Dated 4th Nisan 5417.

Monetary agreement regarding marriage from the year 1729. The groom Moshe b. Aharon, the bride Esther d. Moshe the physician Hazan.

Court record of the Karaite community regarding the marriage arrangements.