Letter: ENA NS 48.19

Description

Letter in Judaeo-Arabic. Dating: likely ca. 12th century. The sender was pained by the news from the addressee's letter. "I did not cast it from my hand until I went up to her — may God make her rule eternal — and bitterly complained to her, until she ordered that someone write to the sulṭān. . . ." The context is unclear. Goes on to mention the elder ʿImrān; how this powerful woman "did not make room for me"; the sender's grief when the boy or young man Yeshaʿya died the day after his arrival; Abū Naṣr; ʿImrān again; further orders from the powerful woman; having to wait until someone's brother comes and a warehouse is "released from being sealed" (cf. T-S 6J7.20 (PGPID 17152) for khatm/"sealing" possibly in a similar context); the elder ʿAlī; and how the sender wishes he were able to do more to help 'deliver' everyone from this distressing situation. Greetings to Abū l-Barakāt and Yūsuf 'and all of our colleagues.' ASE