Letter to His Wife

Solomon ben Yefet

ca. 1200

Drawing on a fragment of damaged parchment of a boat with a curved, pointed prow, stick figure people and items aboard, and lines extending from the bottom, with vowelless Hebrew lettering above and below.
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Solomon ben Yefet (Japheth) wrote this personal letter, in Judeo-Arabic and Hebrew, to his wife during a lengthy business trip in India. Traveling that far necessitated sustained absences from family, which were undoubtedly challenging for both the traveler and those left behind. It is possible that Solomon wrote this letter in Aden, Yemen, but it does not preserve an address and may never have been sent. Italics indicate Hebrew in the original.

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Creator Bio

Solomon ben Yefet

12th Century–13th Century

Not much is known about Solomon ben Yefet, a long-distance merchant who traveled to India at the end of the twelfth century.

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