Geniza Lab

Letter from an unidentified merchant to Abū Saʿīd al-ʿAfṣī. In Judaeo-Arabic. The sender reports on a shipment that he has sent with Jaʿfar: 62 wax moulds (qālib) weighing 51 1/2 raṭls in addition to 2 1/4 manns of violets (zahr banafsaj). With the proceeds from the sale of the wax, the addressee should purchase brazilwood (baqqam). If the violets sell for 1/2 dinar a mann or more, the addressee should use the proceeds to purchase costus (qusṭ) or high-quality brazilwood (this reading is not certain, as the first letter is missing). If the violets fetch less than that, then the addressee should hold on to the money. The Jaʿfar mentioned here is likely identical with the ship owner mentioned in Bodl. MS heb. a 3/19 (India Book II32). He was evidently Muslim; nothing else is known of him. The addressee, Abū Saʿīd al-ʿAfṣī, is known from numerous documents, including several in India Book II. AA. ASE.

Fragment from a letter sending regards to people.

Beginning of an informal letter in Judaeo-Arabic. It reads, "They sent the little paper for al-Shaykh al-Asʿad al-Levi the cantor, the son of R. Shelomo. If he comes to you, show him this paper. . . ." On verso there is a memorial list for two families. AA. ASE.

Damaged letter, probably concerning business.

Few words from an opening of a letter to a notable

Letter from Yosef to his brother Elʿazar aka Abū Manṣūr b. Abū l-Surūr. In Judaeo-Arabic. Dating: Likely 12th or 13th century. Fragment (upper part of recto). Yosef complains about his weakness and poverty and worries. Greetings from [Abū] l-Surūr, from the sender's maternal uncle Abū Saʿd and his wife and Isḥāq. On verso the sender seems to complain about a lack of news: he heard something about a marriage, a (newborn?) boy, Sitt al-Kull, and Daniel, but was not informed. He ends the letter, "Do not blame me, for my vision is weak."

A letter, torn on top and bottom, referring to the 'the kohen, the teacher, Sulayman b. Yosef'. AA

Letter from Mevasser b. David (Tinnis) to Nahray b. Nissim (Fustat), ca. 1052. Mevasser b. David appears to have recently arrived from the Maghreb (al-Mahdiya). The letter is largely about sending and receiving correspondence. The writer congratulates Nahray b. Nissim on the latter’s marriage. (Information from Gil, Kingdom, Vol. 4, p. 292.)

Small and very faded fragment from a letter, probably written by Yefet b. Menashshe Halevi.

Fragment from a letter, sending regards to various people among them the Head of the Diaspora

Fragment from a letter written by Yefet b. Menashshe Halevi.

Fragment from the right part of a letter, mostly relating to family affairs. Abu al-Mana, the writer's sister's son, is mentioned and so is Alexandria. Probably written by Yefet b. Menashshe Halevi.

Mercantile letter. On parchment. Dating: Early 11th century. The address is only partially legible and written in a confusing way. The sender appears to be al-Faḍl b. Yūsuf. The addressee is Abū l-Surūr Faraḥ b. Yehuda al-Kīnānī(?) known as ṣāḥib (the friend of?) al-Baradānī; underneath is written "to Abū l-[Faraj] Yūsuf b. Yaʿqūb Ibn ʿAwkal" (the most prominent merchant in the Geniza documents of this period). The letter was sent to him "either in Fustat or al-Ramla." The sender may be in Tripoli. He is angry about something to do with a huge shipment of 581 cases of "that damned tutty" (tūtiyāʾ, zinc oxide) and a financial loss that is "beyond repair. . . you have destroyed us." He bemoans his loss of reputation among "the Tripolitans, the Sicilians, the Maghribīs, and the Levantines, let alone among the Baghdādīs." Mentions the arrival of a group of traders who had been in Egypt, among them Abū ʿImrān Mūsā b. Yaḥyā Ibn al-Ṭaḥḥāla. Mentions the (arrival of?) the ship of ʿArūs. The letter concludes with something about a woman named Sitt ʿAlam. Uncited in the literature & should be edited. AA. ASE

Small and very damaged fragment of a letter.

Very damaged fragment of a letter, referring to a disaster that occurred. Mentioning Ya'aqov known as Ibn Askhaf and Ishaq Ibn Mansur. Also referring to the 'Pride of the Negidut' and 'our great Rav'. AA

Very damaged and faded tiny fragment probably from a letter. On verso remains of Arabic document. Needs examination.

Very damaged and almost unreadable business letter with accounts on verso

Letter to 'our master'. Probably ask for financial support. The writer is a butcher and hardly make enough money to provide himself. Abu Tahir is holding 15 dirhams for him. AA

Letter in Judaeo-Arabic. Mentions Abū l-Munā complaining about something, perhaps his isolation or a lack of letters (inqiṭāʿ). Abū l-Munā may be the sender's son or a younger relative ("...if I heard an enemy make such a complaint I would [...], so how much the more from my son"). The addressee had previously asked for a sorrel syrup (sharāb ḥummāḍ) in a container (barniyya). The sender offers various blessings for God to reward the addressee and for him to have a male son. AA. ASE.

Letter from a man, in an unknown location, to his son Abū l-[Rabīʿ?] Sulaymān, in Fustat. To be delivered to the shop of Abū Naṣr al-Sharābī in the Berber market (? sūq barbara). In Judaeo-Arabic, with the address in Arabic script. The handwriting is familiar but does not seem to be the handwriting of Abū Zikrī Kohen (who also had a son named Abū l-Rabīʿ Sulaymān). The letter is quite damaged. The sender complains about having sent eight previous letters and receiving no response. He has heard that his son is doing business in a shop. Either the sender or his wife is "perishing" (halaktu or halakat), presumably from anxiety over the lack of news. The addressee's mother is mentioned in the penultimate line. AA. ASE.