Letter: T-S Ar.35.300

Description

Family letter in Judaeo-Arabic. The addressee is in Sammanūd. On recto, there are greetings and expressions of longing, "We have not enjoyed a day of health or well being since the day you left us. . . no sooner does one illness end than another begins (אלא מן מרץ נפרג ופי מרץ נבדא). . . ." The sender complains about the epidemic(s) this year and the inflation (ואנת תערף מרץ הדה אלסנה וגלאהא). On verso, gives instructions or a request mentioning flax and an item called מרארה(?) כרכי(?). Greetings to various people in the addressee's location, and greetings from Sitt al-Ḥusn. The address is written in an unusual location, in the margin of verso: يصل هذا الكتاب الى سمنود الى ("may this letter reach Sammanūd, for [...]."). AA. ASE.