Prenuptial Agreement (Fustāt, Egypt)

This prenuptial agreement was written in Fustāt (Old Cairo) and preserved in the Cairo Geniza. It describes the arrangements for a wedding (nisu’in) between an arranged couple. Especially due to the possibility that the giving of a ring as a deposit might qualify as a legal betrothal (kiddushin), a particular concern for Palestinian Jews, the document is careful to distinguish this agreement from the betrothal itself. However, as was common, a ceremonial betrothal was not scheduled. Instead, the two acts were probably combined into one ceremony. The wedding is planned for two years hence, which is an abnormally long delay and likely indicates that the bride was still a minor. The agreement is in the hand of the court scribe Ḥalfon ben Manasseh. Italics indicate Hebrew or Aramaic in the original, and all other words are in Judeo-Arabic.