Geniza Lab

Letter written by someone who trains himself in writing a letter. The beginning of the letter reads: (1) bismi llāh al-raḥmān al-raḥim (2) waṣala kitabuka ayyuhā al-ʾaḫ al-fāḍil ḥafiẓaka (3) llāh bi-rāfatihi

Letter addressed to Menaḥem the physician, in the horseshoers' market (fī al-musammirīn) in Fustat or New Cairo. Mainly in Judaeo-Arabic, with the first five lines written in Arabic script. The sender conveys everyone's grief over the death of the addressee's mother. He says they have sent 10 letters with Mukhalliṣ the tax farmer, but they have received no response. He asks for small quantities of silk. Umm ʿAjam also asks for news and tells the addressee to return as soon as he has finished his work. "If we had known you would stay in Cairo for a year, we wouldn't have let you go." Greetings to family members and from ʿAjam and ʿIwāḍ. ASE

Letter from Yosef b. Farah, Fustat, to his brother Farah b. Ismail in Busir, December 1055 (Gil), or to his nephew Ibn al-Surur Farah b. Ismail b. Farah before 1058 (Ben Sasson). The letter discusses commercial matters (i.e., exchanging checks and coins) and the departure of ships containing goods to Sicily. (Information from Gil and Ben Sasson)

Letter from Abū Naṣr, in Alexandria, to his brother al-Thiqa, in Fustat. There are greetings to Abū l-Ṭāhir Ismāʿīl and his son Sharaf(?), but these do not appear to be the actual addressees. In Arabic script. There are also a few words in Judaeo-Arabic in the address. The sender reports that he arrived safely from Fustat to Alexandria and found the children well. He stayed with his son Sulaymān. He claims that he could not find anyone with whom to send a letter for a span of two months, until he found Abū l-ʿAlā' b. al-ʿAfīf(?), with whom he is sending the present letter. The sender is apologetic and worried about two women, Sitt [...] and Fāḍila. He asks about the price of wheat. He asks for a loan/advance of 2 dirhams either from the addressee or from Sulaymān al-Dujājī, and he asks the addressee to buy okra with it and send it to him, no matter the price. ASE

Letter probably in the hand of Berakhot b. Shemuel (active early 13th century); not immediately clear if he is writing for himself or as a scribe on behalf of somebody else. Addressed to a certain Abū Saʿd (v15). In Judaeo-Arabic. Full of petition-esque expressions of deference. He is seemingly asking only for advice, but in reality also for help (per Goitein). Sulaymān had written to the addressee to recommend the sender. "The greatest of my wishes is travel from Alexandria into the Mediterranean (al-baḥr al-māliḥ) in the ṣalībī ships." (These were the ships that sailed westward in September, named after the Coptic Feast of the Cross; see Friedman, Dictionary, 738, and Goitein, Med Soc I, 317, 481–82 note 31.) Mentions wishing to 'go into (work in) the matbakh with Shemuel.' The sender uses a version of the same phrase as in T-S 8J17.33 to express his desperation: "Could I find death without sin, I would not hesitate." (Information in part from Goitein's index card.)

Letter sent to Abu Ishaq Ibrahim, in which the writer announces that he is traveling to Palestine and sends greetings to his family members and friends. (Information from Goitein's index cards)

Letter sent from the Egyptian capital by a man to his brother in the countryside, reporting that their mother is well and praying for him and requesting him to buy as much flour as he can carry. (Information from Mediterranean Society, III, p. 244)

Letter containing a request to deliver letters to Nezer and Rida, as well as a request to buy for Yosef a nice mantle for two and a half or three dinars. (Information from Goitein's index cards). Abu Imran al-Kohen is also mentioned.

Letter from Yeshua ha-Kohen b. Yaʿaqov in Dhu Jibla, Yemen, to Avraham Ibn Yiju, then in Aden, 1150.

Recto: Note in Portuguese. Mentions Jose Loise. There is further text underneath also Latin script. Verso: Accounts in Hebrew script. Currency: fulūs. 16th century?

Letter, India book VII66 (unpublished). Letter from South Arabia to Egypt giving order on a large gift to Maimonides. On verso an Arabic account of goods recieved from Yemen

Letter, very faded. In Judaeo-Arabic. Dating: Probably no earlier than 14th century, based on handwriting and abbreviations. The letter mentions various sums of money.

Letter in Hebrew. Dating: Late, perhaps 16th century. Conveying regulations for merchants (?תקנת סוחרים) in the name of the heads of the congregation. On verso, a validation from a higher authority (with a seal imprint). Signed by Efrayim(?) b. [...]. Needs further examination. Information in part from FGP.

Letter of blessing to a notable, maybe on a happy occasion, such as a birth of a child. Faded.

Letter-writing practice or draft. In a combination of Hebrew, Judaeo-Arabic, and Arabic script. The hand is somewhat childlike. The 'sender' is [...] b. Ibrāhīm and the 'addressee' is a dignitary titled Fāris al-Dawla wa-Ḥusāmhā.

Biblical citations, might be from an opening of a letter. On verso: collection of biblical verses from various books in another hand.

One side: Letter in Arabic script. Difficult to figure out the content. Contains greetings to various people and blessings at the bottom. The other side: Letter in Hebrew. Consisting almost entirely of devout blessings, together with greetings to women in the family of the addressee, including his mother and sister. Unclear if/how recto and verso are related.

Series of (copies of) letters sent from Hebron to Egypt, mainly asking for financial assistance. First half of the 17th century. Information from FGP.

Series of (copies of) letters sent from Hebron to Egypt, mainly asking for financial assistance. First half of the 17th century. Information from FGP.

Letter mostly consisting of praises for the addressee, then a request for personal assistance. The writer is Avraham ha-Yakhini (f.3, l.12), in Istanbul, to ʿAzarya Ze'evi, Jerusalem (f.3, ll.14–15). First half of he 17th century. The writer asks the addressee's help with relocating his father to Jerusalem (f.2, ll.25–26). The writer too prays that he will be able to come to Jerusalem. The writer also mentioned R. Zeraḥya [Gota] (f.3, l.9). Information from FGP.