Letter: T-S Ar.54.46

Description

Multifragment. P1: Epistolary (formulary for writing letters). In Judaeo-Arabic. Contains both common and uncommon formulae. Goitein notes that it is older than the epistolary in T-S Ar.54.25 + T-S 6J6.10 (PGPID 8323). The hand seems familiar from other fragments (e.g., Moss. I,109), maybe ca. 12th century. Model letters here include: asking someone to do something for you; responding to a request to do something for someone; and congratulations upon the birth of a son (ghulām) or daughter (ibna/jāriya); it is not immediately clear if these terms which literally mean "male slave" and "female slave" refer to actual slaves here (probably not, and Goitein does not seem to think so; he also notes that he has never encountered an actual Geniza letter with congratulations on the birth of a girl). (Information in part from Goitein’s index card and Med Soc III, p. 474 note 19.)