Institutions and events of the eleventh century mirrored in Geniza letters (part II)

Abstract

This article deals with a further series of events reflected in the Geniza letters, as listed below. In 1016, Jerusalem was afflicted by a severe earthquake; the letters help to determine the exact date of the event. Between 970 and 1030, Palestine was beset by battles; I have referred to this period as the ‘Sixty Years War’. In the Geniza letters, we find information on these events, beginning in 1021 and continuing to the Fatimid victory at Uqhuwa¯na in 1029. The letters provide information on the heavy taxes imposed on the Jewish population in Jerusalem. Because the liveliest trade took place between Egypt and the Maghrib, a great many letters were sent from the Maghrib, containing information on the incessant struggles there, especially between 1010 and 1027. The letters supply information on the struggle in Spain between the ‘slaves’ and the Berbers. We find an extremely detailed description of the events related to the earthquake of 1033, which is also described by the Persian traveller Na¯sir Khusraw. Also contained in the letters is information on the mutinies in the Maghrib under al-Mu‘izz; the separation of Ifri¯qiya¯ from Fatimid supremacy (1048/49); events during the rule of the vizier al-Ya¯zu¯ri¯; and the destruction of the city of Qayrawa¯n (1059). The article ends with a discussion of the great rebellion which took place in Safa¯qus in 1062/63.