The National Library of Israel (NLI), located in Jerusalem, just announced that it has acquired 250 pages of documents from Afghanistan, dated mostly to the early 11th century. This is the largest collection anywhere of archival materials from pre-modern Afghanistan. Arutz Sheva reports:
Because of the widespread destruction during the [13th-century] Mongol conquests, [the collection] represents virtually the only primary source for information about this once-thriving Jewish community, as well as the region’s Islamic and Persian cultures prior to the Mongol invasion. . . .
Part of the collection comes from the same archive as the handful of pages already held by NLI, [known as the Afghan Genizah]. These texts flesh out our understanding of the lives of the 11th-century Abu Netzer family of Jewish traders living in and around the city of Bamiyan, a once-bustling commercial center located on the Silk Road. [Included among the documents are] parts of multiple tractates from the Talmud, as well as liturgy, Jewish law, a historical chronicle, and portions of the Bible. A full 27 pages of a bound merchant’s account book offers a look into the economic realities of an ancient and sparsely studied community. The collection is written in Persian, Arabic, Aramaic, and Judeo-Persian.
Read more on Israel National News: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/217792