Letter to His Nephew, Yūsha‘ ibn Nathan

This letter, written by Ya‘qūb ibn Ismā‘īl to his nephew, concerns a family partnership in Palermo, a port city in Sicily. Ya‘qūb urged his nephew—through his nephew’s son—to continue the family business with his own son, Ismā‘īl (named Abū Ibrāhīm in this letter). In all likelihood, this letter was sent from Palermo to Egypt. Several interesting tidbits about mercantile and other exchanges also appear. Two of the Sicilian goods mentioned several times are lāsīn, a type of silk, and farkhas, a sheet of cloth or a garment.