Creator Bio
Sa‘īd ibn Marḥab
12th Century
Sa‘īd ibn Marḥab was a Yemenite Jewish poet, possibly the first from that region. Eight of his poems survive, including a panegyric in the beginning of a letter preserved in the Cairo Geniza. In addition to his position as a court scribe, he had a leading role in the community in Aden, Yemen, as he reports that he spoke to the congregation publicly at least twice.
Content by Sa‘īd ibn Marḥab
Primary Source
Letter to Hillel ibn Naḥman
A Jew in Aden writes to Hillel to inform him how his son-in-law (and his business partner) drowned at sea and to serve as official proof the two men were dead, so their widows could inherit.