Letter on the Conquest of Jerusalem

This letter from Alexandria details the dire situation of Jerusalem during the conquest by Crusaders in 1099. It remains one of only two known Jewish accounts of the fall of the city. The author, a Maghribī, had spent five years attempting to travel to Jerusalem but did not succeed due to the dangers along his way, including the siege of Alexandria in 1095 and the capture of Jerusalem by the Seljuks in 1098, immediately preceding its capture by the Franks. Some of the events he describes, such as the slaughter of all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, were likely exaggerated. Part of the impetus for writing the letter to his cousin, it seems, is to explain to his family that he has been unable—not unwilling—to return home. The letter may have been a draft, as there is no address on the opposite side (though the verso was used later for recording a Fātimid decree). Ellipses indicate lacunae in the manuscript.