Letter: T-S Ar.39.492

Letter T-S Ar.39.492

Metadata

Shelfmark
T-S Ar.39.492
Primary Language
Arabic

Description

Letter from a man to his son. In Arabic script. The address is rubbed out, although the word thaghr is still legible (unless this is صـ), so it was probably sent to either Fustat or Alexandria. After about 10 lines of prologue, the sender complains about the lack of letters; reports that the addressee's paternal aunt died, and her inheritance is in the hands of the government ("aṣḥāb al-mawārīth"); they will not pay anything to the family until the addressee arrives, and if he does not, the sender predicts that the government will claim the property for themselves. Also, the addressee's brother has had a son in Qūṣ. The rest of the letter urges the addressee to come back, or at least to meet with another family member, on "this holiday." (Information in part from Goitein's index card.)

Additional metadata

Collection
Cambridge University Library, Taylor-Schechter
Historical shelfmarks
TS Arabic Box 39, fol. 492; TS Arabic Box 39, f. 492
Input date
In PGP since 2017
Cambridge University Library, Taylor-Schechter, T-S Ar.39.492. Available online through the Princeton Geniza Project at https://geniza.princeton.edu/documents/8260/ (accessed June 3, 2026).