Betrothal Contract (Fustāt, Egypt)

This typical Rabbanite betrothal contract, written in Judeo-Arabic, conveys the standard stipulations of an engagement agreement. The document details the future wedding between Sitt al-Khāṣṣa and Abū Manṣūr Tsemaḥ (here Ṣemaḥ). The bride’s family was involved in the India trade, and the groom’s family was evidently also quite wealthy. Sitt al-Khāṣṣa brought a good deal of property into the marriage, as detailed below. The engagement was to last one year. The document was recorded by the scribe Nathan ben Samuel.