Letter: T-S 12.495

Description

Letter from a woman, probably in Alexandria, to her paternal uncle. In Judaeo-Arabic. Dating: ca. 1030 CE. The writer's family, a family of merchants that had emigrated from the Maghreb, has been left without any males (l. 9) after the death of both the writer’s father (l. 3) and grandfather (l. 4). The writer describes the wretched state of the family. She fears that her mother will fall sick from severe grief: "she has no eye or body left," and she is either literally or practically fainting from her excessive weeping (ll. 6–7). They are worried that their property will be confiscated when the government finds out that there is no man in the family. She appeals to the uncle to help them. Despite the difficulties, she also mentions that the family has received a shipment of merchandise. On verso there is incidentally a note in Judaeo-Arabic about the hafara for Ha'azinu (but no address or continuation of the letter on recto). (Information in part from Gil, Kingdom, Vol. 2, #227.) VMR. ASE.