The Cairo Geniza as a Source for Turkish History

Abstract

Abstract The information in the Cairo Geniza documents has contributed greatly to our understanding of medieval Jewish and, to a lesser degree, Islamic social and economic life. In addition, these documents have also furthered understanding of the development of Arabic, the language of the majority of the Geniza collection. However, for various reasons the Geniza’s possible contribution to the field of Turkish history has largely been ignored. This survey of documents from the Cairo Geniza which mention or allude to the Turks shows that the Geniza collection not only sheds light on aspects of Turkish history in the late 11th and early 12th centuries, but may also indicate new paths of inquiry into the presence and roles of the Turks in the Mediterranean in this period.