Letter (T-S 13J26.13)
Recto: part of a letter, c. 1050 CE, probably from the Jewish community of Damascus, to the Jewish community in Fusṭāṭ, regarding their persecution by the Bedouin tribes who have usurped control of the city (they refer to them as 'Arabs', rather than the usual term for Muslims, 'Goyim', drawing a distinction, probably, between uncivilised and civilised behaviour). The harsh measures enacted against the Jewish community, by the city's leaders and the qadi known as 'the nephew of Abū l-Sayyār (Ibn Uḵt Abū l-Sayyār), inlude denying them access to the city's water supply, forbidding them to slaughter animals, and the extortion of special taxes. When a new Fāṭimid governor arrived to restore order, Ḥaydara 'Treasure of the Realm', the Jewish community presented him with a decree obtained from the court in Cairo. Ḥaydara read the decree and then demanded a bribe to remove the restrictions on the Jews. Verso: Unrelated text in Arabic script.
Information about this document
- Physical Location: Cambridge University Library
- Classmark: T-S 13J26.13
- Subject(s): Cairo Genizah
- Origin Place: Damascus
- Date of Creation: 1050 CE
- Language(s): Hebrew (sporadic Babylonian vocalisation and cantillation); Arabic
- Associated Name(s): Ibn Uḵt Abū l-Sayyār, governor of Damascus; Ḥaydara, governor of Damascus
- Note(s): Two different scribes have written this letter, with the second starting at line 24.
- Extent: 1 leaf. Leaf height: 29.8 cm, width: 18.6 cm.
- Material: Paper
- Condition: torn, holes
- Layout: 31 lines (recto); 32 lines (verso)
- Provenance: Donated by Dr Solomon Schechter and his patron Dr Charles Taylor in 1898 as part of the Taylor-Schechter Genizah Collection
- Funding: The digitisation of the Taylor-Schechter Cairo Genizah Collection has been sponsored by the Jewish Manuscript Preservation Society, the Friedberg Genizah Project Inc., and the Arts and Humanities Research Council, UK.
- Author(s) of the Record: CUL. Translation by Ben Outhwaite.
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- Physical Location: Cambridge University Library
- Classmark: T-S 13J26.13
- Subject(s): Cairo Genizah
- Origin Place: Damascus
- Date of Creation: 1050 CE
- Language(s): Hebrew (sporadic Babylonian vocalisation and cantillation); Arabic
- Associated Name(s): Ibn Uḵt Abū l-Sayyār, governor of Damascus; Ḥaydara, governor of Damascus
- Note(s): Two different scribes have written this letter, with the second starting at line 24.
- Extent: 1 leaf. Leaf height: 29.8 cm, width: 18.6 cm.
- Material: Paper
- Condition: torn, holes
- Layout: 31 lines (recto); 32 lines (verso)
- Provenance: Donated by Dr Solomon Schechter and his patron Dr Charles Taylor in 1898 as part of the Taylor-Schechter Genizah Collection
- Funding: The digitisation of the Taylor-Schechter Cairo Genizah Collection has been sponsored by the Jewish Manuscript Preservation Society, the Friedberg Genizah Project Inc., and the Arts and Humanities Research Council, UK.
- Author(s) of the Record: CUL. Translation by Ben Outhwaite.
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