From Aden to India: Specimens of the Correspondence of India Traders of the Twelfth Century Author(s): S. D.

Goitein Reviewed work(s): Source: Journal of the Economic and Social History of the Orient, Vol. 23, No. 1/2 (Apr., 1980), pp. 43-66 Published by: BRILL Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3632233 . Accessed: 08/03/2012 06:12
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Journal of the Economic and Social History of the Orient, Vol. XXIII, Parts I and II

FROM ADEN TO INDIA

of of of IndiaTraders the Twelfth Specimens the Correspondence Century
BY

S. D. GOITEIN of to Since the appearance my article,"From the Mediterranean on Documents theTradeto India,SouthArabia, EastAfrica and India: in XXIX (i954), fromthe EleventhandTwelfthCenturies," Speculum, would be 18A-197,it was expectedthat a corpusof such documents soon. Fortunately, fulfillment this hope is now in the the of published of had why offing.However,an explanation a quarter a century to pass could be realized in order. is beforethis expectation The documentsconcernedwere preservedin the so-calledCairo of Geniza,a treasure-trove Judeo-Arabic mostly fragmanuscripts, with one another.Moreover mentaryand completelydisconnected in but libraries, England, alsoin France, todayin many theyaredispersed U.S.A., Russia,Austria,Hungary,and other countries In orderto 1). find out which of them belongedto the topic "Indiatrade"in the concerned widestsense of the word one had to visit all the libraries all the documentary Genizamaterial and to read they possessed.By of the "IndiaBook," as the planned a very considerable part 1958 wasshortlyreferred hadbeenwritten. thattime,however, to, By corpus it also had become evident that the India trade,as reflectedin the Geniza,was only a branchof that greatexchangeof goods between worlds of the Mediterranean which was in the Islamicand Christian full bloom as from the eleventhcentury.A study of the society for was whichthe importof Oriental products only one of manyactivities, to with Meditermy 2). appeared be imperative Naturally, occupation
I) For a first orientation on the nature of these manuscriptssee the article GeniZa in the Encyclopaedia Islam2,II, 987-989. More in the books quoted in the subsequent of notes. : Society TheJewishCommunities theArab World z) S. D. Goitein, A Mediterranean of in as Portrayed the Documentsof the Cairo Genira, University of California Press,

44

S. D. GOITEIN

raneansociety delayedthe work on the "IndiaBook." It had, however, the advantage that about 15o new items were added to the original or stock of 2 50o so, which were in hand when I sat down to write the first version of the corpus dedicatedto the India trade3). In the following, two letters, pieced together from seven Geniza fragments, are presented in translation and in Arabic transcript4). All the seven happento be found in the Taylor-Schechter Collection of the University Library Cambridge, England, but, as the manuscript marks indicate, are preserved in six different sections, some between glasses, others in bound volumes, and again others in various series of boxes. Since these two letters emanated from the office of a wakil a tujadr, representativeof merchants,who was also superintendentof a port, and are addressed to a merchant stationary in India, they are, welcome. But experiencehas taught despite their shortness,particularly me that even a small scrap of paper may sometimes contain a valuable bit of informationfor socioeconomic history 5).
Berkeleyand Los Angeles, vol. I. Economic Foundations, 1967; II. The Community, 1971; III. The Family, 1978. The fourth and concluding volume, dealing with the individual, his physical environment and spiritual world, is well progressed, but must wait for the completion of the India Book, since the relevant mattersfound in the latter must be worked into vol. IV, especiallyits last chapter,"The Mediterranean Mind." Paris-The Hague, 3) Shaul Shaked, A Tentative Bibliography Geniza Documents, of 1964, who had, while preparing his volume, the list of Geniza documents included in my "India Book," as it stood in 1963, notes, if I am not mistaken, 308 items. At the writing of these lines it comprises about 400, see below. 4) Sixteen other letters from the "India Book" are translatedin S. D. Goitein, Lettersof MedievalJewish the Traders, Translatedfrom Arabic,Princeton, 1973,PP. 62-71, The letters are written in Hebrew charactersand contain also a few Hebrew words, especially at the beginning and end, in titles and blessings, and, naturally,in references to Jewish matters,such as holidays. As far as necessary,thesewords are rendered in Arabic translation. In the English translation,words translatedfrom Hebrew are italicized. They are often written in abbreviatedform, which is indicated in the English text by parentheses encompassing parts of the words alluded to in the original only by their initials. 5) I use this opportunity to express again my appreciationand gratitude to the former and present directors(librarians) staffof the UniversityLibraryCambridge and for the unfailing support given to my work throughout the years,
175-229, 299-304, 335-338.

FROM ADEN TO INDIA

45

The commentaries accompanying the translations are essentially philological, that is, they are intended to establish the exact meaning of the text and to explain any detail with which the readermight not be expected to be familiar,or of whose significancehe might be unaware. The general historical and socioeconomic evaluation of the documents translated,naturally, is done in the introductory part of the corpus. Ben The addresseeof these letters was Abrahamb. Pera1hyd Yijii 6), a learned Tunisian Jew, whose mercantileand industrialactivities on the Malabarcoast of India can be tracedduring the years 11 32 through I1149.He might have visited India before. He operateda brass factory, in which also local Jews and others were employed. As his letter of
September I1, 1149, written in Aden on his way home shows, he

returnedto his native ambiancein order to marryhis daughterinto his own family, as was customaryin those days, and probablyalso to give his little son the opportunityfor a better education7). He is represented in the Geniza with a great number of items written by, or addressedto, him. The senderof our letters was Madmin b. Hasanb. Bunddir, representative of the merchantsand superintendentof the port of Aden, and "Nagid of the Land of Yemen," that is, head of the Jewish communities of that country. He was also a shipowner and, like his father, the middleman between the Jews of the Mediterraneanarea and those
active in India 8).

My collection of papers from the Cairo Geniza connected with the trade on the India route comprises about 400 items to date, of which 245 deal with the trade proper, while the balanceare letters and documents illustrating the personal, communal, and other activities of the persons involved in that trade. The two letters translatedbelow give a good idea of the economic
6) Ben Yijifwas his family name, derived from that of a Berber tribe, probably one under whose protection the family once had lived. Under the form Benichou this name is still common among North African Jews. Paul Benichou, the author of Moralesdu GrandeSitcle (6th edition, I948), made the name known in France. 7) Translatedin Letters(see n. 4, above), pp. z2o-2o6.
8) About him see Letters, pp. 181-185.

46

S. D. GOITEIN

merchantsojourningin India. He exported concernsof a Mediterranean iron, a commodity not handled by Jews in the Mediterranean,but taking pride of place in the India trade; spices, such as pepper and ginger, and betel nuts, and, of course, the products of his brassfactory. Copper and lead were sent to him from the West. India had famous copper mines, and lead was found also east of India, but obviously the supply was not sufficient for a flourishing brass industry. Besides this, the West sent gold coins of various currenciesand all those daily commodities which Westernersout in India needed or desired: Spanishand Egyptian textiles, writing paper not to be had in India at all, sugar, raisins, and dates, and household goods of differentdescriptions. This article wishes to give the reader an inkling of the problems

of of research.The type, color, size, and state of preservation the

paper, as well as the style and quality of the script are not negligible details,but factorswhich must be taken into accountwhen we go about to piece together the disparatefragments found in the Geniza. The linguistic, technical, financial, and social aspects demand our careful attention. The reader, of course, will linger at those parts which, for one reason or another, will interest him most. I

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FROM ADEN TO INDIA

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48
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S. D. GOITEIN

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FROM ADEN TO INDIA

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Two copiesof a letter by Maadmun, Aden, to Abraham Ben Yfiy, Malabar Coast, India 23. 24. TS_ )6J4fol.314 TS I8 J 2 fol. 7 25. TS eS.416

Numbers 23 and 24 together form one complete letter. Line 35 of number 23 is identical with the first line of number 24, but the paper was torn in such a way that the first five words of line five are in number 24, while the last word in the line is on the lower left hand corner of number 23. The length of the page is 7.8 + 36 cm. =
43.8 cm., its width 10.3 cm. The paper is light gray and of medium thickness. It is well preserved, except that the ink on the opposite side can be seen through the paper in places. lower half of this copy has been preserved, approximately zz cm., corresponding to number 24, recto, missing here).verso, 11. i-i8 (to the word only two words are 11. 18-37, and kt'by, "my letter," i.e.,
25, i.e., 26, 3, 6 and

Number 2z is written on paper of exactly the same type and dimensions. Only the

which

the postscript on the verso of number 24 was written by anotherhand, the same hand which wrote that to number 99 in very cursive style. Itto kt, "myreason, and the word therefore, stands
wrote

Number made atnumber 24 recto of this letter. This same scribealso wrote numbers he 23 and least two copies were written by the clerk who also wrote number in 99,first the of numbepostscripts the margins of number 32. However, andline wrote
that
to

number

19

in

a very

cursive

style.

It

stands

to

reason,

therefore,

9) TS = Taylor-Schechter Collection in the University Library, Cambridge, England. The numbers 23, 24, etc., are the numbers given to the relevant Geniza on texts in my book Documents from theCairoGeniZa theIndiaTrade theHigh Middle of the "India Book" (in preparation). Ages,

FROM ADEN TO INDIA

5I

that this was the hand of the sender, Madmian,himself. The same handwriting is to be found in numbers 27, 29, 32, and 33-34. The recto of numbers 23-24 is written in a very ornate style in such a way that the sheet is filled exactly. It is thus clear that it was copied from an original which Madmanhimself had written. The question then arises, why Madmainadded the postscripton the verso of this scribe's copy, and not on the original itself. The answer is that the calligraphiccopy served as the officialtext of the letter, while the draftwas sent in another boat as a replacementin the case that the official text was lost. It is surprising that the receiver of the letter kept two copies of it during all the yearshe lived in India and did not dispose of them until he came to Cairo. It is even more strange when we see that number 25 has no more room for further writing. From this we may conclude that he kept the paper, if not for reference,for uses other than writing, for example, "to wrap over the mouth of a small flask" (Mishna, Sabbath, 2, in referenceto 'erasedpaper'), or "to stop up the mouth of his flask" 8, (BabaMetZia13a, in reference to a cancelled legal document).

: Contents theletter of of A. Acknowledgment Ben Yijfi'sletterand shipment 23, (number

11.1-5, number 24, 11.I-10). B. List of gifts sent to Ben Yijii with 'Abd al-Masih, the deacon (number 24, 11.10-23). C. Acknowledgment of a shipmentsent by Ben Yijfi to the merchant Abu 'l-Khair and business dealingsof the latter (ibid.,11.23-29). D. The marketfor iron in Aden (ibid.,29-25).

E. Greetings(ibid.,35-37). (Arabictext not provided): Postscript F. Requestto ask threeIndianacquaintances, Hindusand one two Muslimor Jew, to send pepperand iron from Mangalore, and coconutsetc. fromDiu (ibid., 11. verso, 1-12). that was to G. Announcement Madmfin prepared fit out a ship to
sail from Aden in partnershipwith the aforementioned (ibid., 11.13-18).

: Translation

A. No. 23.

(I)

Your be above adversaries, and hands shall high your (sic)

shall be cut off. (2) To our worthym(aster)and t(eacher) all your enemies Abraham,m(ay God remember f(avorably),the son of o(ur honored), him)

52

S. D. GOITEIN

and g(reat) andh(oly)m(aster) t(eacher) Y?ji m(ayhe restin the)g(arden (3) of) E(den) (from)yourfriend Madmin, the son of asan, m(ayhe rest in H. the)g(arden E(den). of) (4) The letter of my lord, the most illustrious elder, arrived; I read (24, 1. i) and understood it, and I was happy to learn that you were well (23, 1. 5) and your affairs(24, 1. 2) in order, for whichI thanked God very much, and asked Him to give you more of every good thing. May God unite (4) us under the most joyful circumstances,and in the best of(5) spirits,for he controlsthis andis ableto effect it, if (6) God will. From what you mentioned, (7) my lord, I learned that you sent the two locks and the two thousand (8) white and red betel nuts. I have already(9) received this and I thank you for attending (io) to it. B. I have sent you a bundle of (12) Berberamats, six in number, (1i ) with 'Abd al-Masih,the deacon. (i3) We wrappedthem in canvas and your name is written (14) on it in Arabic and Hebrew. With him, I have also sent you (a gift) from me: (i6) a new, first-rate,unbleached Dabiqi scarf, (I7) which has a pretty band on each side, (18) and is fit to be worn by prominent men. (I) also (sent) with him (19) two sets of fine, large paper-(2o) government paper, the like of which (21) no one has. In addition, (I sent) with him two rubd'iyydtof (z2) sugar and raisins. See that you receive all this from him. C. (23) Everything you sent to Abu 'l-Khair arrived, (24) and he has taken delivery of all of it. (25) He bought Egyptian linen and went up into the (26) Highlands. He requestedme to ask you to look after his interests (27) and send his remaining (28) iron and cardamon,and the entire balanceto his credit. (29) Send him all this on the first boat (30) which sails from India. D. As for iron, this (31) year it sold (well) in Aden-all (32) kinds of iron--and in the coming year (33) there will also be a good market, because (34) there is none at all left in the city. (35) Please take notice of this. E. Please accept for yourself the best of (36) wishes, and for your son Suriir, and for Bamah, (37) the most bountiful well-being. And Peace.

FROM ADEN TO INDIA

53

Verso Madmfin's (in hand). F. (i) Pleasegive S~is Siti and Kinbdti[andIshl..] (2) and Ishlq and the Binyin my best regards, tell them(3) of my longingfor them. themin my namethat as for pepper,in (4) this comingyearits Inform will and value,(thatis) the priceper bahdr, be (5) thirtydinars, more, a bahdrwill be (worth)not less than andas for refurbished iron, (6) dinars,(7) and that the raqs(shining,glitteringiron), which twenty was in the city, is completelyexhausted.(8) (Tell them also) to a if dispatch ship from Mangalore, they can, (9) and to sendin it any available pepper,iron, (io) cubeb,and ginger;it shouldset out at the for first opportunity (11) al-Dyyb[Diu], taking some coir (coconut fine all fiber), aloeswood, (i 2z)mango(?), and coconuts,because these aresellingwell. G. (13) If they are equippinga ship in Aden, and they want me (14) to take part, I will share(in it) with them. If therewere (i ) a this ship sailingfrom Mangalore year,I would send them (i6) gold, sugar,raisinsand (other)goods. Be sure to informthem (17) of all this, and do not be remiss,for you take the place of (18) a letter of mineto them.AndPeace. in Address Arabicscript,writtenin the samedirectionas the postscriptbelow: His servant elder, (i) The most illustrious b. b. Ibrdhim Ishii, the Israelite, Madmiin his mayGod preserve high al-Ha[san] position. in Address Hebrewscript,writtenon number versoon the reverse 24 side,oppositethe beginningof the letter: and Your Madm~Zin, (i) Toourworthy friend m(aster) thesonof IHasan, Abraham, m(ay) t(eacher) (2) m(ay) Godremember f(avorably), herestin the) him g(arden thesonof o(urmaster) and of) E(den). t(eacher) m(ayhe rest Yzyj, in the)g(arden E(den). of)

54

S. D. GOITEIN

Commentary
No. 23

Yourhandsshall be high, etc.--Micah 5:8; where "your hand(in

the singular) ..." This biblical verse and similar ones, are found

at the beginning of other letters from that period. This replaces Arabic wa-kabata a'ddhu,"may He crush your enemies," usually said at the beginning of letters. z The abbreviationZ"l is generallyknown as a blessing for the dead. In Yemenite usage, however, these letters stand for Z(dkhir) and are used as a blessing for the living. 1(e.tov[a]) 3 Your friend-spelled 'hbk, both here and in the Hebrew address, without the waw,as often in the Bible, for example, I Kings 5: 5,
Isaiah 41:8, Proverbs

Hasan-in the Arabic addresswith the article.

No. 24 7 Locks-see number 26, verso, 1. 28, below.

Esther 5:10, 14. 18:"24,

8 Betel nuts-a common Indian export commodity. See numbers z6,

verso, 11.23-27, below.

I1 'Abd al-Masih the deacon-shammds. Just as Jewish rabbis and Muslim qadis dabbled in trade, so did ecclesiasticalofficers of the ChristianChurch-here probably of the Syrian Church of India. While traveling from Aden to India, he acted as an agent for two Jews. 1z Mats which were brought to Aden from the African port of Berbera.The same gift was also sent in letter 29, 1. 46. 14 "In Arabic and Hebrew"-as the two addresses in this letter demonstrate,the terms "Arabic"and "Hebrew" refer not only to the script, but to the language as well. 17 Band-Ar., silsilah.This word, which usually means 'chain,' also has the sense of 'collar,' and it seems that it here refers to some kind of decoratedfringes. 19 Sets-Ar. dast, which designates a number of objects of the same description. The word is once specified in these papers (34, 1. 6,

FROM ADEN TO INDIA

55

in connection with Chinesecups) as a set of six, and once (54, 1. 24, referringto paper) as a set of twelve. Paperwas also sent in single sheets, as in number 55, 1. 15, where fifteen sheets of large Talhi paper are mentioned. In contemporary Egyptian and Yemenite Arabic dastais "a dozen," which in Yemen, when connected to a following word, is shortened to dast, e.g. dast shama',"a dozen candles." The same word in Modern Egyptian designates"a quire of paper,"cf. Spiro, Arabic-English Dictionary Egypt,Cairo,1923, of andDozy, Supplimentl, 44Ia; accordingto A. Barth6lemy p. p. I73a,
Dict. Ar.-Franc., Dialectes de Syrie, p. 239, dast is "a set of 400

leaves of paper," which does not, of course, apply here. The sending of paperas gifts or merchandiseto India is mentionedvery frequently in our documents. als Wirt21 Rubd'iyyat-According to A. Grohmann, Siidarabien II, schaftsgebiet, 98, who relies on E. Glaserand other 19th century in South Arabia, the rub!'i has four Tumdniof 2.387 kg. travelers which would make 9.448 kg. In San'a', the capitalof Yemen, I am The Yemenite Qadah(cf. informed, the rubi'i is I/8 of a Qada.h.
al-Wdsi'i, Ta'rikh al-Yemen, Cairo, 1346/1927-8, page 200, 1. 4) is

the equivalent of two modern oil tins. This too would give the rubd'ia weight of about io kg. 24 Abu 'l-Khair-This name occurs frequently in these documents. He is perhapsto be identifiedwith Abu 'l-Khairal-Barqi(199, 1. 6;
32, 11.63-64).

To the highlands of centralYemen. All kinds of iron-Five differenttypes of iron are mentioned in 32 these documents. 36 Surair-This Arabic name, which means 'Joy,' correspondsto the Hebrew name Perahyd,which means "Joy in the Lord," according to the meaning of the Arabic root frh. Peraihyiwas the name of this Surtir'sgrandfather.Bamah-the slave and house-steward of Ben Yiji.
26

36 Verso

S. D. GOITEIN

SdisSiti etc.-The first two namesare Indian.Ishiq can be the for nameof a Jew or a Muslim.Binyan is the usualdesignation an Indianmerchant. peninsulaof Gujariton Ii Diu, an island south of the Saurashtra end of the Gulf of Cambay the northwestern (northof Bombay), of was a greatemporium tradein the LateMiddleAges, see Enc. becauseit simplymeans , s1.2 p. 322. The name has the article a "island" knownto the Arabicspeaking certainly (dipa), meaning MiddleEasterners. Fine aloeswood,'krbh, 12 clearlyspelledthus in both copies,has not been found by me elsewhere.I take it as Persianagarbib, see F. Steingass,Persian-English Dictionary, 90, as derived from p. Sanskritaguru(modern agar, informationby ProfessorA. L. Basham). The item nw'shk also has not been tracedthus far. Professor somewhich might be pronounced Basham suggestednavdmuaka, a compound nava, fine of new, andatmiuka, cloth, thinglikenkadshuk, muslin.I doubt, however,whethertextileswould be mentioned couldnot betweencoir and coconutsand wonderwhethernw'shk stand for nagZak, see 0. Spies, Ibn Fadlallah al-Omari's mango, wouldbe tradedas fiber Bericht India, Leipzig,1943, p. 33. Mango or as a preserve. pickles cf. 13 Equipping--Ar.jahdZ, 1. 8, i.e., buyingor buildinga ship and fittingit out. it 16 Gold-the reference, seems,is to gold coins.SugarandraisinsHere sent in generally appear smallquantities as gifts for children. (Other)goods-i.e., goods ordered they are exportcommodities. by Indianmerchants.
1-2

with slightvariations, in 27): as Arabic The Address sameaddress, (the

z Ish-i-The name Yiji was also pronounced and written as Yishi, see
number 27 in the Hebrew address, and 62, 1. I, or as Ishi.

FROM ADEN TO INDIA

57

of of Fragments twocopies a letter

to fromMadmfin BenY/ij
26
27a

TS 24.66
TS NS J, fol. 5 TS Box K 25, frgt. z252z

27b TS 13 J 7, fol. 13
27c
No. z6 is a copy, written by the clerk who wrote numbers z3-z4, of the original, matches numbers 27a-c, which is written by Madmoin.The fifth line of number z27a the firstline of number 26. Number z7b begins with the last word in line 5 of number z6. It concludes with the second word of line 35 of number 26. The address has since the custom was to write the addresson the been preservedonly in number z27a, reverse side of the sheet, opposite the beginning, and the beginning, usually containing only polite phrases, was often torn away as not needed, while paper always was in demand for all kinds of purposes, see above. The clerk worked with great exactitude. There is no deviation from the original. He did, however, use many more diacriticalmarks than his master, albeit without any consistency. The original was written by Madman carefullyand in a more pleasant hand than is usual for him. Deletions, involving the beginning of words, are found in two places only. The writer undoubtedly had accounts before him, from which he copied. We may assume that these accounts were enteredin Madmiin'sledger, which is mentioned several times in these documents. width (11.3 cm.). This would seem to imply that they cut their paper to different sizes, and that it was not bought alreadycut in sheets suitable for writing purposes. 52 cm. of the length of the sheet are preserved. The paper is different in number z7a-c. It appears more brownish, lighter, and smoother than the paper of the other fragments originating from Madmiin's office which have been identified up till now. Its width is io cm. at the top and 9.5 cm. at the bottom. Its length is 11 cm. plus 25.5 cm. plus 29.5 cm., a total of 66 cm. A space of 12 cm. was left blank on the verso of 27c. Thus Madmin was not forced to cut short, as he sometimes did for lack of space. On the lower edge of the verso of 26 the receiver of the letter, Abraham b. Yijfi, wrote, in his own hand, a calendarfor the year 1458 of the Era of the Documents,
i.e., 1146/7 A.D., for the year 1459, i.e., 1147/8 A.D., and for another year which is difficultto read; most probably it is for the year 1460, i.e., 1148/9 A.D. The same man wrote a calendar for 1461, i.e., 1149/5o A.D., on the edge of number 5 i, and we No. 26 is written on the same grayish paper as numbers 23-25, but it differs in

possess others from his hand.

Contents theletter: of
Aa. Acknowledgment of a letter and a shipmentof pepper from Ben the Rimisht,anddetailed Yijfi, through agencyof the shipowner

58

S. D. GOITEIN

accounting of what was received for the goods sold, after the
deduction of expenses (number 27a, 1. I-number
26, 1. 15).

Ab. Acknowledgment of a shipment of iron through the agency of the shipowner Ibn Abu 'l-Kati'ib, and detailed accounting of what was receivedfor the goods sold, afterthe transferof part of the shipment to whomever designated, and after the deduction
of expenses (number 26, 11, 16-39).

Ac. The balancein favor of Ben Yija. Ba. The purchase of copper for Ben Yiji, the price and the freight 40-50). charges in three differentships (11. Bb. Details of various expenditureson behalf of Ben Yijii, and of purchasesof copper, lead, and other commodities (11.5o-verso 17). Bc. The completion of Ben Yiji's account (verso, 11.18-19). C. Acknowledgment of various shipments, and, finally, of gifts

from Ben Yija. D. The shipment gifts, andbest wishes. of In orderto lighten the reader's burden,all the accountscontained in thisletterhavebeenreduced a table.The detailswill be explained to in the commentary. should be kept in mind that a bahdr It contains 300rotl, or pounds,and that the dinar,or gold piece, is divisibleinto to 24 qirits, whicharecombined an eight, sixth,fourth,third,or half of a dinar,as the circumstances the require.The dinarsare,naturally, which onesusedin tradein Adenin thisperiod,namely, Malikidinars, morethanone thirdof the Fatimid hadthe worthof somewhat dinar, in as is evidentfrom variousreferences the Indiapapers,but hadhere a highervalue. sent A. Thesaleof the prices goods byBenYjfi andthe obtained, thedeductionexpenses of after I. Pepper- bahar, from which 45 rotl were removed, leaving -2 ii bahir, 255 rotl. The price: per bahar-34 dinars,per rotl34/300

dinar.

FROM ADEN TO INDIA

59
9/1o, rounded out to

5/6 = 402 5/6 dinars (Malik.) The expenditureson this shipment: "Tithes" (i.e., customs) 82 1/4 dinars 4 1/6 dinars Expenses in receiving the goods Baskets and porters i/6 + I I/4 dinars
28

Total: 374 dinars + (34 x z55/300) -28

87 5/6 dinars
Balancein favor of Ben Yijaifrom the

87 /6

peppershipment

315 dinars

II. Iron-20 bahr, 120 rotl o Amountgiven to the merchant Joseph 3 bahar,I89 rot1 Amountgiven to the merchant Khalaf 2 bahdr, 75 rot1 Total: bahdr, rotl 255 5 Amountleft for sale: 14 bahdr,165rotl Price: per bahdr- 17 dinars dinars per rotl 17/300oo Totalreceived:238 +-(i65 x 17/300 = 9.35 rounded to 9 1/4) out
247 1/4 dinars

on Variousexpenditures this shipment z7 1/4 dinars in from the Balance favor of Ben Yijai iron shipment 220 dinars in Totalbalance favorof Ben Yijii = 220 + 315 dinars= 53 dinars 5 B. Shipmentsgoods requested to and items of BenYij/for theaforementioned sum of on I. 5 bahdr copper,and expenditures them 415 dinars(Malik.) Hidesfor packingthem,andthe cost of packing i I/2 dinars Exit tolls in Aden 4 i/8 dinars and II. Otherpurchases expenses: 4 I/2 dinars Freightchargesfor the copper

6o

S. D. GOITEIN

dinars 8 dinars 2 i/2 + i/4 dinars 2 dinars i dinar 5 dinars 6 dinars 28 I/2 + 1/12 dinars I dinar 47 dinars 7 dinars 535 11/24, rounded out to I/4 + i/8 + 1/12 = 11/24, 535 1/3 dinars (iMlaliki) the 1/3 dinar is not considered by Majdmn, who states However, that with these shipments his account with Ben Yijiofor that year is settled.
2

Registrationfee to the captainfor the shipments of iron and pepper Copperbars Dates An Abyssinian hide Mats A carpet Various items of clothing Lead Freight charges for the lead 20o Egyptian Mithqil, which equal 7 Maliki dinars

Translation Aa. (27a, 1. i) The letter of my lord, the most illustrious elder, has arrived; may God make permanent(2) your well-being, may he guard your life and humble those who envy you. It was (3) a most gladdening letter and a most delightful message. I was happy to learn of your and well-being (4) and your prosperous circumstances, I have entreated God (to grant you) more of every good thing, (5) (26, 1. I) in his mercy. I noted from what you mentioned (26, 1. 2) in your esteemed letter (6) that you sent (26, 1. 3) some pepperin the ship of the NikhodS (7) Rimisht (26, 1. 4)-twelve bahir of small measure.(8) This has arrived (26, 1. 5) and your servant went to pick it up. From this is to be deducted (26, 6)-as you mention in your letterforty (7)-five rotl, leaving you eleven (8) bahir and two hundred and fifty-five rotl, the price being (8) thirty-threedinars (per bahir). The (full) value is, (thus), four (io) hundred and three dinars, minus onesixth.

FROM ADEN TO INDIA

6I

From this (sum) is to be deducted the "tithe" (i.e. the custom's (Ii) duty), eighty-two (i2) and one quarter dinars, the cost of obtaining the goods, four and one-sixth dinars, ( 3) the cost of baskets and a porter,one and one-quarterand one-sixth dinars, (14) a total of eightyeight dinars minus one-sixth, (I5) leaving three hundred and fifteen dinars(in your favor). Ab. (16) You mentioned that you sent some refurbishediron in the ship of the Ndkhodd(17) Abu 'l-Hasanb. Abu 'l-Katd'ib(x18)--twentyone bahdr-but (i9) the Nikhodi AbTi'Abd Allah, his son, only gave me (20) seventeen bahdr of large measure; he stated that (2i) the Bdnydn(the Indian merchant)whom you asked to take charge of the iron (22) delivered no more than this to him, saying that the rest of (23) the iron was in the highlands and had not yet arrived. In reply, I held him to be under obligation (24), if this were not true, to (25) pay the price (of it), according to the sale value in Aden. (26) He is to pay my lord this in India. (27) The iron I received from you in Aden is about twenty (28) and one hundred and twenty rotl of small measure. (29) From this is bah.r to be deducted: for the elder Joseph b. (30o)Abraham,three bahdrand one hundred and eight (31) rotl; for Khalaf b. Ishiq, two bahdr(32) and one-quarter-a total of five bahar and two hundred (33) and fiftyfive rotl, leaving you four-(34)teen bahdrand one hundred and sixtyfive rotl, (35) the price being seventeen dinars(per bahdr).Total value: two hundred (36) and forty-seven and one-quarterdinars. From this is to be deducted (37) the "tithes," the expenses, and the (cost of) the porter, twenty-(38)sevendinars,leaving two hundred (39) and twenty dinars. Ac. Therefore, the sum total coming to you is approximatelyfive hundred(40) and thirty-five dinars. weighing (42) five bahdr, at a cost of eighty-three (dinars per bahdr). (43) (Total) value: four hundredand fifteen dinars.(44) The number of
pieces in each bag is twenty-three. (45) The cost of hides and packing, one and one-half dinars. Exit tolls (46) from the port (of Aden), four

Ba. Your servantbought you (41) three bags of copper (?sufr),

62

S. D. GOITEIN

and one-eighth dinars.I sent you (47) this in the ship of the Ndkhodd Rdmisht-(48) one bag-in the ship of al-Muqaddam-one bag-and in the ship of (49) Nambiyar (ani?)-one bag-a total of three bags. Freight charges for ( o) this (were) four and one-half dinars. Bb. (Also) charged to you, the registrationfee with the (5i) boat's captainfor the pepper and the iron, two dinars.

No 26, verso
rotl of copperbars, (I) Also, there are chargedto you twenty-five (2) twenty-eight piecesin number,(3) worth eight dinars;a basketof dates, (4) 115 rotl, worth two and one-halfand one-quarter dinars; two dinars,the cost of an Abyssinian one dinar,the priceof hide; (5) ten (6) Berbera mats which are in a package(7) which is markedin Hebrewand Arabic;(8) a zodiac carpet,worth five dinars,a maqta' worthsix dinars-(io) all this with kerchiefs, cloth,(9) andtwo Mandri the ship's captain.(i i) He also has with him a piece of Abfi Ghdlib, lead, weighing (12) two hundredand forty-fiverotl, worth twentydinarsandtwo qirdt,the price(perbahdr) (I3)eightandone-half being 35 dinars;(I4) freightchargesfor the piece of lead, one dinar.Abdi the has Ghdlib, ship'scaptain, with him also a pursein whichthereare dinars(Maliki).(17) twenty EgyptianMithqil (i6) worth forty-seven Thatpursecontains(also)seven Malikidinars. Bc. (i8) The totalsum:five hundred thirty-five and dinars and (19) one third.This settlesmy lord'saccount.(zo) the C. Therealso arrived "eggs"whichyou sentin the shipof (21) Abu 'l-Katd'ib,and this was receivedby the eldersJoseph (22) Ibn and Khalaf,along the lines of the divisionwhich you indicated(23) in your letter. The betel nuts also arrived,which (24) you sent to your servant, andthis is on the balance (2 ) my account withyourexcellency from of both the last year. (26) But the betel nuts were extremely mediocre, white (27) and the red ones. Therealso arrivedwhat you were kind enough(to send),namelyfour (28) locksand two bowls.
D. Your servant has sent you
(20)

with Abai Ghalib, the ship's

FROM ADEN TO INDIA

63

captain, two large brazilwood boxes with (30) sugar, and two brazilwood boxes with raisins,and a package with (3i) three sets of Egyptian Talhi paper of the best obtainablequality. Please accept this, my lord, (33) and may you think well of me in your secret thoughts. If you have any (34) need or service (to be done) I would be happy to take care of them. (35) May you have abundantwell-being. And Peace.
27a

The Hebrew Address: (i) The illustriouselder, my lord Abraham (2) Ben Yishai-May God preserve your well-being.

Your servantMa~dman b. al-HJasan Bunddr b.

The Arabic address,written in the direction of the message, contains exactlythe same words with the addition of "the Israelite,"and in place of "Yisha" in 1. 2: Ishu.

Commentary
No. 26

ship-owner (Persian). Nakhod-Rdmisht--The ships of this great merchant are frequently mentioned in these papers. Two inscriptionsof this Rdmishthave been
preserved at Mecca, one, dated 5z29/1135, relating the foundation

of a hospice, cf. Ripertoire arabe,Number chronologique d'epigraphie 3075 (vol. VIII, pp. 196-7), and the second, his epitaph,from
Number 3099 (vol. VIII, Sha'bdn, 534/April 1140, cf. Riepertoire, Ibn sub pp. 2I8-9); see also the Arabhistorian al-Athir, anno 532

(ed. Tornberg,Vol. XI, p. 43, 11.5-9).One of his agentsbrought of backfrom Cantonin a singlevoyagemerchandise the fabulous

dinars.In 532/1138, he provided for the covering value of 00oo,ooo of the Ka'ba with Chinese silk, Gaston Wiet, "Les marchands S. M. Stern, "Rdmisht of Sirdf, a Merchant Millionaire of the Twelfth Century," April, 1967, Journalof the RoyalAsiatic Society, pp. Io-14.

d'histoire Cairo I955, p. 85; egyptienne, d'dpices etc.," Cahiers

64

S. D. GOITEIN

4 Of small measure--the relationshipbetween the small and the large

measure is clarified by this document, both here and in 11.20, 27-28.

According to these references, 17 bahir (5,ioo rotl), of large

bahir and i20 rotl (= 6,20zorotl) of small measure. measure = 20zo The ratio is about 1.z:1; also in Number 28, 1. 17, and Number 58, 1. 23.

5-7

There is no explanationfor the deduction of 45 rotl from I2 bahdr, or any indicationas to who received them. It seems, however, that this is a polite way of referringto the fee of the Representativeof the Merchants,namely, Madm-in.This payment, about .330%,is from that mentionedin 4, 1. io, whereMadmiin's not much different father received one qirdt out of every two dinars of the price of
each piece, that is 1/4810). Cost of obtaining the goods-4 1/6 dinars for goods worth 402 5/6

12

dinars, that is, approximatelyone percent: apparentlya government tax.

13 The baskets are mentioned elsewhere, for example in 20, verso,

1. 17 and z8, 1. 18. It seems that pepper and similar commodities were in need of ventilation, and were transferredfrom the containersin which they had been brought from India to the baskets. The Highlands, of course, of India, and not, as above, 24, 1. z6, 23 of Yemen. and 29 Joseph B. Abraham,a cousin of Madmuin, prominentmerchant. Khalaf b. Ish1q, another cousin of Madmuin,a philanthropic 3' notable. 46 Port of Aden: al-furdah,the customs house of Aden, cf. L6fgren,
Aden in Mittelalter, Uppsala 1950, p. 50.

47 Rimisht-See 1. 3 above. Either the ship which brought merchandise from India took merchandiseon the returntrip, or in another
ship of the same merchant, 11.17-19, above.

io) This refersto the voyage to India of Joseph Lebdi of Tripoli, Libya,in 1095/6, his dealings with Hasan b. Bundir, of Aden, and his subsequentlawsuits in Fustat, Leiden 1968, p. 336. in 1097/8, see S. D. Goitein, Studies IslamicHistoryandInstitutions,

FROM ADEN TO INDIA

65

48 Muqaddam-a general term designating a person wielding power; it was the officialtitle of the heads of the EasternJewish communiII, ties, see S. D. Goitein, A Mediterranean Society, pp. 68-75. It is not impossible that the reference here is to a Jewish shipowner, but since the owners of the other two boats bear Indiannames, the word Muqaddammay refer to the holder of an Indian office. The
ships of Ibn al-Muqaddam are mentioned also in 56, 1. 17.

So Registrationcharges-satmi. All merchandisecarriedin a ship was registered, and after the arrival of the ship the captainreceived a set fee for this list. The term designated both the list and the fee. From the fact that the value of the pepper and the iron together, before the various deductions, was approximately8o00 dinars, we see that the registration fee was about I/2% of the value of the merchandise.

26, verso

a 3 Basket--qawsarah, word found in Aden to this day, see E. V. Stace, English-Arabic (Aden Colloquial),London, 1893, Vocabulary
p. 17 s.v. "basket for dates." Also heard by me. 6 Berbera mats-see 24, 1. 12, above.

a 8 The zodiac, Ar. burfij, common ornamenton the floors of churches and synagogues in Byzantine times, decorated this costly carpet. 9 Mandri-Mandrah is the name of a locality in south-west Muslim Spain, near the city of Sidiinah (Yiqfit, Geographical Dictionary, p. 648). These woven goods were named after that district or were

Spain,also perhapsbroughtfrom there. A city near Saragossa, of bearsthis name,Ydqat,ibid.A kerchief the sametype was sent
io
from Aden to India according to 67, 11.9, 18-19. Abii Gh~lib, the ship's captain-v. infra.1. 5, 29. It is not specified

ii

whether this captaincommandedone of the three ships mentioned above, recto, 11.47-49, or another ship. Lead-needed in the manufactureof copper vessels with which Ben Yiji dealt.
5

66

S. D. GOITEIN

15 The Egyptian Mithqil (or dinar) is here worth only 2.35 Maliki dinars, just as z8, 1. 32, below. i9 One third-Madmin discounts this one third, see recto, 11.39-40. As was shown, however, in the analysis of the account above, he rounded off small amounts also to the disadvantageof Ben Yijii. zo "Eggs"-either a type of cardamon,or a form in which iron was shipped, 66, 1. 6; 67, 1. 29. Arrived-the merchandisewas delivered to the Representativeof the Merchantswho distributedit to those by whom they had been ordered. or 29 Brazilwood boxes, i.e., made from baqqam, sappanwood. This wood was one of the main dyeing stuffs,but, as we see here, served also as materialfor implements. b. 31 Talhi paper-named after Talhka Tihir, ruler of Kharasin in north-east Persia, who died in 828, see Enc. Isl.2, IV, 419, s.v. "Kighad." It is interestingthat the name of a commodityremained constant for over three hundred years. P.S. In the final publicationof the Geniza materialon the India trade it is planned to edit the Arabic texts in a separatevolume and to print the comments beneath the translations.