Geniza Lab

On recto a list of items and months. On verso short letter in a different hand

A letter from Abu al-Faraj to his uncle expressing his longing for him.

A short note written by Abraham Maimuni to al-Sheikh al-Rasuy, asking him to take care for the oil, probably for lighting the synagogue. AA

Fragmentary letter. A qadi is mentioned and two camel drivers. Also the writer informing a meeting that is going to take place in the summer. He didn't receive any letter from his father, and he informs that he is well. Abu Nasr is mentioned. AA

Fragmentary letter in a Maghrebi hand. The writer informs that 'Ayash b. Danun is in Sicily. Also mentioned Yehuda al-Fasi, Abu Ya'aqov and Musa b. al-Majani (members of this family are mentioned in business letters from the mid of 11th century). AA

Letter of appeal for charity. In Judaeo-Arabic. Mentions Makārim b. Abū [...] and a ḥaver.

Long and damaged private letter, quoting some Biblical verses. Alexandria is mentioned.

A letter to Ya'aqov Fransin in Rashid Also mentioned Nissim Faranji. 15th century?

A late letter from a mother to her son Yosef b. Ghanam (?). Among other news she informs him that his aunt's daughter (?) was abandoned by her husband who might went to Alexandria. Part of the address, in Hebrew, is preserved on verso: the location of the addressee is not known, and he might be in Rashid or other place in Egypt. Israel is also mentioned but it is unclear if the letter was sent from there. AA

Fragmentary letter, mostly torn. The writer informing about the death of a person. On verso the address in Arabic script. The sender name is 'Imran b. Abu Nasr - needs examination.

Letter from Shelomo b. Eliyyahu to a certain Abū Isḥāq, who is addressed as "the esteemed and precious brother." In Judaeo-Arabic. Fragmentary (top part only). Shelomo says that he rode up to the shop and asked the addressee's cousin (ibn khāl) Abū l-Faḍl where the addressee had gone, but Abū l-Faḍl didn't know. On verso there is a list of names followed by Greek/Coptic numerals and one sentence from the Mishneh Torah, all in the hand of Shelomo. AA. ASE.

Small fragment of a letter - needs examination.

Arabic letter - needs examination.

Letter from a father to a son. In Arabic script. Fragment (upper half only). Recto contains only the formulaic opening greetings. Verso contains closing greetings from the addressee's mother and sister, from the whole family, from Hiba, from Abū ʿAlī, and from Sitthum.

Letter, probably. In Arabic script. Mentions Muḥammad b. ʿAmmār al-Tājir in l. 3. On verso there are a few words in Hebrew (Proverbs 1:8). Needs further examination.

Letter of gratitude. In Arabic script. Full of expressions of patronage and no specific details. The sender's name may be Zayn and the addressee's name may be Bū l-Makārim—though paleographically it looks more like بو المكالر.

Petition addressed to a dignitary titled Sayyidnā, perhaps Avraham Maimonides. In Judaeo-Arabic. Only the bottom 7 lines are preserved. It may have to do with a group of people who are being persecuted by a tax collector (...al-jābī yudawwir ʿalayhim dawra...). The remainder consists of expressions of deference (two versions of a raʾy clause, blessings for the addressee, and apologies for being long-winded). On verso there is the beginning of a draft of a legal query addressed to the Nagid Avraham Maimonides, which was then crossed out. This text on verso was written no earlier than 1213 CE, when Avraham assumed the title Nagid. Underneath there are accounts in Arabic script and Greek/Coptic numerals listing fruits and produce, e.g., biṭṭīkh aṣfar, khawkh, ḥummuṣ. The last line includes the phrase "until Rosh ha-Shana (raʾs al-sana)."

Letter addressed to al-shaykh Abū l-[...] al-Yahūdī in Fustat. From his family members (maybe a brother?) outside of the capital. They urge him to come as fast as he can, because the girl (al-ṣaghīra, spelled السغيرة) is sick, with terrible boil(s) or skin lesion(s) (ṭalaʿa ʿalayhā ḥabb ʿaẓīm), and she cries day and night calling for the addressee. Mentions Yehuda Ibn al-Sofer (ابن السوفار). Mentions the addressee's mother.

On verso small fragment of an Arabic letter. On recto Hebrew piyyut - needs examination.

Letter fragment. In Arabic script, with a single word in Hebrew script (ניסן). Dating: Likely 12th or 13th century. The preserved text is written at unusual angles; maybe these are the margins of the original letter. The sender describes suffering dangers and misfortunes (muqāsāt akhṭār wa-ankād) and then something to do with the government: "...fa-mā waqaʿa fīhi min ṣādif(?) ṭulūʿ al-khizāna(?) al-sulṭāniyya sallamahā Allāh....," then refers to a happy ending (...al-ʿāqiba illā ḥamīda...). The sender reports that ʿAbdallāh arrived safely in Qūṣ ("maḥrūsat Quṣ") on the date of 12 Nisan together with al-Shaykh al-Rayyis. On the other side: "...and with him are letters for al-mawlā al-rashīd b. al-dayyān, and the slave has (=I have) sent with him [...] Indian myrobalan, a quantity of 80 Egyptian raṭls or more... ... Aden. In sum, the slave has imposed on the favor of al-mawlā al-ajall al-rashīd to collect it, and if he (cannot?) do that, may my lord please collect it...." This letter was subsequently reused for Judaeo-Arabic jottings of names of commodities, such as frankincense, costus, wax, pepper, and bamboo chalk.