Geniza Lab

Mysterious fragment that might be a prayer for the cessation of the rains, or might be an extremely flattering introduction to a letter. Hebrew, late handwriting.

Fragment of a Judaeo-Arabic literary work, possibly on predicting the future, mentioning various hours of the day, various outcomes, and perhaps the names of angels.

Commentary in Ladino on the section of the Guide for the Perplexed dealing with the reasons for circumcision makes up the main text. The remaining space on both recto and verso is filled with other jottings, sums, accounts, etc. (Information from FGP)

Literary text in Hebrew.

Fragment, text on prognostications. Each prediction starts with a new point (al-bāb). Contains some Hebrew script interspersed. Verso conatins a note saying that this paper was sent/commissioned for Maulāya al-Shayk Abū l-Mʿālī (نقل هذه الرقعة الى مولاي الشيخ ابو الم[عالي؟] والسلام). Left side of verso contains blocks of Hebrew script perpendicular to each other.

Recto: Ethical exhortations in Judaeo-Arabic. Verso: Poetry or other literary text in Hebrew. Somebody has left a note identifying the scribe with Yehuda ha-Kohen b. Yehosef. Not a letter.

Exegetical text in Hebrew. Probably late. Not a letter.

Prayer. In Judaeo-Arabic. Probably late.

Liturgical. In Hebrew. Probably not a letter, as it is listed on FGP.

Literary text, probably. Bifolium filled with Greek script, presumably either Greek or Coptic. Needs examination.

Poem/prayer for Shabbetay b. Seʿadya b. Amitay of Qayrawān. Information from FGP.

Literary letter(s). Copy of the queries that Ḥasan b. Nisi ha-Sofer/ha-Tofer sent to Seʿadya (b. Yosef) Gaon.

List in Judaeo-Arabic of at least seven of the "blemishes" (ʿuyūb) a woman can have, such as a bad odor, a propensity to sweat, a coarse voice, and at least two having to do with the breasts. Of documentary interest not least because there are a number of documents in which a man complains about the "blemishes" of his wife (e.g. T-S AS 147.17) or a female slave (e.g. T-S Misc.23.8). On verso is a medical text (literary) in Arabic script, and there are additional jottings in Arabic script filling the margins of each side. ASE.

Fragments of citations from al-Mutanabbī in Judeo-Arabic. (Information from Cecilia Palombo)

Fragment on verso, possibly poetry (for example line 9&10): "anta rūhī wa inta ___ qalbī" "انت روحي وانت ـــــ؟ قلبي ", "wa yā amīrī wa ya amīr amīrī".

Probably a geomancy manual. In Judaeo-Arabic.

Literary text. In the hand of Avraham Maimonides (or perhaps one of his descendants).

Judaeo-Arabic poetry or rhymed prose (-ān). To examine (ASE).

Literary text, probably. In Judaeo-Arabic.

Small fragment in Judaeo-Arabic. Probably literary.