מסמך שלטוני: ENA 2818.46

תיאור

Letter/petition in Arabic script. Dating: likely mid- to late 12th century, based on paleographic grounds, the mention of Abū l-Fakhr Ibn al-Rav who may be identical with the one in T-S Ar.54.21 (PGPID 4591), and the Hebrew reuse on verso (Moshe Ibn ʿEzra's poem במגורי ידידי on the departure of Yehuda ha-Levi; this was copied after 1141 CE, as Yehuda ha-Levi's name is followed by the blessing for the dead, though interestingly Moshe Ibn ʿEzra's name is not.) The sender's name appears in the tarjama at upper left but is difficult to read. The addressee is not identified, but there may be a clue if the unusual raʾy clause, wa-raʾyuhā al-asʿad, is a reference to his title; speculatively, this could be al-Qāḍī al-Asʿad a.k.a. Ibn Mammātī, though he assumed government office only in 1182 CE so may be too late for this document. There is almost no preamble with blessings for the addressee, and there is no taqbīl, suggesting that the sender and addressee are of similar rank. The sender reports that he went up (to New Cairo?) with Abū l-Fakhr Ibn al-Rāb (Heb. al-Rav), who appears to have learned from the government dīwān that he overpaid his tax liability. Nevertheless, a messenger from the treasury has been harassing him (for more payments?) and forced him to sign his name and testify that he would present himself on Monday. The addressee is now asked to go up with this Ibn al-Rav and clear everything up. This fragment was identified by Kedem Golden. ASE