Inventory of Synagogue Objects and Donors (Fustāt, Egypt)

On the first day of the week, which is the eighth of the month of Tammuz, of the year 1391 [1080 CE] according to the system of counting which we are accustomed to using in Fustāt, Egypt, which is situated on the river Nile, we [ . . . ] assembled as a court in order to take account of what is in the [Jerusalemite] synagogue, under the control of the beadles, belonging to the Iraqi synagogue. [ . . . ]

Of which there are: five Torah scrolls, of which . . . , and the Haftarot on parchment, and a black and yellow siqlatun [fine silk] cloth, from the household of Sanā al-Dawla, on which is written: “Belonging to the synagogue of the Iraqis.” And a black-and-white siqlatun kerchief from Ḥ[alfon] . . . A green and dark blue kerchief from Abū ’l-Ḥusayn ibn Abū ’l-Bayān. An old black and white siqlatun kerchief . . . An old . . . and a fine white, fringed dabīqī [fine linen] kerchief, and a piece of brocade, Persian red, with [the name] Faraḥ written on it. And a siqlatun cloth for the pillars, and a small piece of fringed siqlatun for the haftarot, and a cover for the ark . . . And woven [meaning unclear] fabric for the ark in white and red siqlatun, and two rags of Maghrebī siqlatun, and prayer shawls for the priests, and a green curtain for the doorway. Two codices of Babylonian Targum and Bible, and a Babylonian Torah with Palestinian-Tiberian vowels, which was donated by Judah son of Moses. And a codex of the Torah, which is said to be in the handwriting of R. Se‘adya [Ga‘on], and at its end are a few pages in the handwriting of Ibn al-Aqta‘. And a codex of the Torah donated by Manṣūr ben Isr[ael] ha-Levi, and a codex of the Torah bound in three volumes with no vowels. And a fine codex of the Torah donated by Joseph al-Dhahabī’s daughter. And a bound codex [of the Bible] that was purchased from Abū Ṭāhir ibn al-Qiṭmānī. A codex of the eight books of the Prophets, donated by Ibn Ezra’s daughter, and part of the Prophets . . . [donated by] R. Samuel ben Avṭalyon, and par[t of the] eight books [of the Prophets] that was purchased from the estate of Ḥalfon ben Ibrahīm, and a bound codex of the Writings . . . written in a Maghrebī hand. And two parts in which are the four books of the Latter Prophets, translated, in an Iraqi hand . . . [donated by] Matsliaḥ ben Isaac. And a codex of the Writings, which was purchased from the estate of . . . And a codex of the Writings in an Iraqi hand and with Iraqi vowels, which was donated by the brother daughter of al-Shirajī. And three parts with the Torah, Prophets, and Writings, donated by R. Ephraim ha-Rofe‘ [“the physician”] ben Isaac—his rest be in Eden. And the Halakhot gedolot in five volumes, and the Mishnah in two different parts, and one composed of separate sections, for a total of twenty-five parts. Grillwork [lamps] with their chains. Four . . . , two or three of iron, and one of copper, with . . . on top. . . . And two small copper lamps, copper . . . , and three copper “scorpions” [hooks] for [hanging] vessels. . . . Two copper bowls and four small bowls . . . and thirty-eight open chandeliers and seventeen grillwork chandeliers. A chandelier with three rods and a star, and the chandelier is large. A large chain with a “scorpion,” with three chandeliers in its hooks, donated by Zara‘a—whose rest be in Eden. An iron triangle [tripod to hold a lamp] and a large copper circle—and it is not clear if it belongs to the Jerusalemites or the Iraqis. A pair of chairs—one large and one small. An ark for a Torah [scroll] . . . and one shofar, and one . . .

Source: CUL T-S 20.47.

Translated by Amir Ashur and Benjamin M. Outhwaite.

Credits

Unknown, Inventory of Synagogue Objects and Donors (Fustāt, Egypt), CUL T-S 20.47.

Published in: The Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization, vol. 3: Encountering Christianity and Islam.

Engage with this Source

This inventory details some of the possessions held by a synagogue in Fustāt (Old Cairo). It identifies many of the donors, but the final item on the list is of doubtful ownership. Many of the items owned by the synagogue are cloth; siqlatun is a term that can denote scarlet but was used for silk cloths more generally. The other side of this document held a Karaite marriage document. Ellipses indicate lacunae in the manuscript. The crossed-out word was struck out in the original.

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