מכתב: T-S NS 225.14

תיאור

Verso: Letter addressed to Sulaymān b. Yosef ha-Kohen. In Judaeo-Arabic with some Hebrew. Dating: 13th–15th century. A large piece is preserved, but it is torn and the content is difficult to discern. Refers to the appearance of 'the father' before the court; an oath; biblical and/or talmudic citations; and someone's wife. AA/ASE Recto: Text in Judaeo-Arabic in a different hand, containing phrases typical of private letters as well as state petitions. Refers repeatedly to "the kings" and rulers. The text is too faded to understand but some parts are tantalizing: "... their path is not... they are crowned with crowns of gold... on themselves... no one, whether high or low class, and the jizya will not be taken from them... if we required them to pay the jizya, if each one payed a dirham in gold(?)... only God would know its amount... in the lands of the Abyssinians(?)... the liars who intended to stir up discord (fitna) which is more severe than... between the allied kings (al-mulūk al-mutawādidīn).... and we have the possibility of... before he arrives to you... your praying to God for him... by way of pity on them and benefaction to them... between the kings... I ask you... the rulers... its response..."