he documents discovered in the Cairo Genizah include a combination of important scholarly works, community records and ledgers, business and marriage contracts, personal letters and more. Among them are original manuscripts in the hand of famous scholars and personalities of that era.

The manuscripts, originating from all three main Middle Eastern religions of the time –  Christianity, Islam and Judaism – shed an important light on the history of the relationships between the members of these religions and on the life of Christians and Jews under Muslim rule.

Many of the documents are classic Jewish texts such as the Hebrew Bible and its commentaries, the Talmud and its commentaries, midrash, halakhah, aggadah, kabbalah, prayer, liturgical poetry and responsa.

In addition, many multi-disciplinary materials – of great interest to the academic world - were discovered, among them compositions on magic, medicine, astronomy, philosophy, grammar and theology.

The works were written in Judaeo-Arabic, Judaeo-Spanish, Judaeo-Persian, Arabic, Hebrew, and Aramaic, as well as Ladino and Yiddish. (The first three of which classify as lost languages.)

FGP is funding research on many of the numerous topics found in the Genizah. This research is being conducted by teams of academics led by a senior scholar. The data procured from this research is then published online or in print.  

RESEARCH TEAMS

Image: Illuminated Arabic fable, Khalila wa-Dimna; Egypt(?); 13th-15th century; Cambridge University Library T-S Ar 51.60

Image: Musical Notations; Cambridge University Library T-S K5.41

Image: Arabic Horoscope; Courtesy of The John Rylands University Library, The University of Manchester

Image: Zodiacal Sign, Drawing on a Hebrew Fragment; Courtesy of The John Rylands University Library, The University of Manchester

Image: Child's Aleph Bet Text Book Egypt - 11th Century; Cambridge University Library T-S K5.13

Image: Responsae, Arabic; Bibliotheque Nationale et Universitaire, Strasbourg; 4028/107