Letter to Her Son, Judah

This fragmentary Judeo-Arabic letter was written in Ragusa, Sicily, by a woman, Umm al-Khayr, who had not heard from her son Judah ben Elijah for many years and, after finally receiving a letter from him, asked him to return home from Fustāt (Old Cairo). She includes details about recent family events. Many such letters ask relatives to return home, especially from trips undertaken for business purposes. Ellipses indicate lacunae in the manuscript.