The Scroll of Egypt (A Medieval Story of Rescue)

Samuel wrote this Hebrew historical account, called The Scroll of Egypt (Megilat Mitsrayim), to commemorate his endangerment and rescue in 1012/13. On December 31, 1012, Samuel attended the funeral for Putiel, a cantor from Fustāt (Old Cairo), and he and twenty-two other Jews were forcibly imprisoned and scheduled to be executed. They were granted their freedom by the caliph al-Ḥākim (d. 1021), even though the caliph’s treatment of dhimmīs (“protected” non-Muslims) was otherwise very harsh. Later, in 1013, apparently suffering from some mental illness, al-Ḥākim imposed draconian rules on non-Muslims and even allowed some forced conversions. This text was apparently intended for public recitation, perhaps annually. The page pictured here comes from an undated manuscript of the text found in the Cairo Geniza. It has vocalization and cantillation marks (in colored ink) which suggest that the scroll was meant to be chanted publicly, perhaps as part of an annual commemoration.