Geniza Lab

Fragment from the beginning of a letter. Mentions (addresses?) the Nagid and [...]ya ha-Dayyan.

Draft of a letter from Qayrawān to Yosef b. Yaʿaqov b. ʿAwkal (Fustat), ca. 1010. Mentions consignments of laque and possibly other goods as well (the letter is damaged). Describes a campaign in Qayrawān to raise funds for the Babylonian Academies and the negotiations linked to this campaign. (Information from Gil, Kingdom, Vol. 2, p. 581.)

Account, private, written by Nahray b. Nissim. Dating: ca. 1061 CE. Nissim b. Ishaq, for whom the account was made, is probably ha-Tahirti. Mentions silk and lacquer and other goods from Sicily, as well as pearls that were exported to Sicily, as well as transactions in Tripoli. (Information from Gil, Kingdom, Vol. 2, #281 and Shelomo Simonsohn, The Jews in Sicily, 1997, 275.) VMR. EMS.

Informal note in Arabic script inquiring whether certain goods have arrived, and asking for a letter in return. This may be connected to Nahray b. Nissim's accounts in Judaeo-Arabic on recto.

Letter or letters. There is the end of one letter, in Arabic script, immediately followed by the beginning of another, in Judaeo-Arabic with biblical quotations (or possibly this is a prolonged postscript). The writer mentions his heartsickness and praying for the addressees over the Torah scroll in Kanīs al-Shāmiyyīn and in Cairo.

Informal note addressed to Abū Isḥāq. In Judaeo-Arabic, written uncharacteristically with complete vowels and diacritics, shedding light on the pronunciation of Egyptian Judaeo-Arabic. (T-S Ar.3.4 is similar.) Seems to be asking for a 'long Syrian/Levantine pen.' Reused for Hebrew jottings (though it's also possible that these came first, since they are partially cut off on recto). For some recent studies of Judaeo-Arabic phonetics based on Geniza documents, see: -Geoffrey Khan, "Vocalised Judaeo-Arabic Manuscripts in the Cairo Genizah" -Nadia Vidro, "Arabic Vocalisation in Judaeo-Arabic Grammars of Classical Arabic" -Marijn van Putten, "A Judaeo-Arabic Letter in Early Phonetic Judaeo-Arabic Spelling: T-S 13J8.7" -Nick Posegay, "A Judaeo-Arabic Biblical Glossary as a Source for Arabic Historical Dialectology"

Letter from an unknown writer, in Skopje (אישקופייה), to Sha'ul b. David, in Salonika. In Ladino. Needs examination for content.

Letter in Judaeo-Arabic (FGP). Interesting family letter. The writer had been very worried about the recipient and vowed not to [...] until a reassuring letter came in his hand. Alludes to some conflicts and also to people who have behaved well toward the writer. One of them made [her?] a damask gown (jūba ṣiqlāṭūn). Mentions several names: Umm Abu l-Ḥasan who just gave birth, the ghulam of Ya'aqov, Ibn Ḥātim (?), Marwan, and someone who is "in danger from the earthquakes that we......" ASE.

Letter from a student to his teacher. In Hebrew. Sefaradi hand. Dating: Probably 15th–17th century. Looks like it came from a book binding. The sender expresses his desire to study with the addressee (כי בחרתי ללמוד בחברת אדוני, l. 8). The shelfmarks ENA 3077.8–13 all appear to be related, including pen trials, accounts, and poetry in Ladino. On ENA 3077.13, there is an ownership note by Eliyya Toko (? טוקו). Needs further examination. (Information in part from Shmuel Glick via FGP.)

Letter in Judaeo-Arabic. Um Surur is mentioned, and also various shipments.

Letter (FGP). May actually be literary. Very faded

Letter of condolence

Letter fragment. Written in Judaeo-Arabic. Quite damaged. The writer seems to be complaining about something; mentions sūq al-ṣarf.

Letter from a woman, probably in Damascus, to her distant husband. Written in Judaeo-Arabic and some Hebrew. She chastises him for abandoning her for the last 15 months, in violation of the oath he swore over a Torah in front of the judge of Damascus. "I thought you were a religious, praying man. . . ." She also mentions that her mother died. Needs further examination. ASE

Letter fragment. In Judaeo-Arabic. Mentions Sālim al-Ḥaver, the female slave of R. Nissim, Sulaymān, the old woman, and Abū l-Faraj the ghulam of [...]. Also "a little bit of Cypriot wine." ASE.

Letter in Judaeo-Arabic (FGP). Very faded.

Letter in Judaeo-Arabic (FGP). Possibly a literary letter.

Family letter in Judaeo-Arabic. Long, well-preserved, and unstudied. Dating: Perhaps 14th–15th century, but this is a guess. The addressee may be named Bū Saʿd. The writer complains about his or her illness. Mentions the sending of animal hides (julūd and farawāt) and a ship/boat several times. Mentions the buying of saffron. Mentions dates and olives (or oil?) that are "maṭrūḥ." The family may have paid their taxes (wa-niḥnā kāmilīn min al-maqṣ). ASE

Informal note from Yehuda b. Ṭuviyyahu, presumably in Bilbays, to a certain Sheʾerit, who may also be called Ṣāliḥ, and who is probably a cantor, presumably in Fustat. In Judaeo-Arabic, with the address in both Judaeo-Arabic and Arabic script. On recto there is a piyyut for Shabbat Vayigash that seems to be copied in Yehuda's hand. On verso there is Yehuda's note: "Forgive the slave. He only neglected the sending(?) of this on account of his many worries. Please judge him favorably." ASE

Perhaps a letter of appeal for charity. In Hebrew. Late. Mentions a woman whom the narrator married in order to save her from poverty.