India Traders of the Middle Ages: Documents from the Cairo Geniza S. D. Goitein and Mordechai A. Friedman The India trade in Oriental spices, pharmaceutical, dyeing, and other materials was the backbone of medieval economy, especially in the Islamic world. A unique source of documentation is now available in 11th-12th century Geniza letters, written in Judeo-Arabic (Middle Arabic in Hebrew characters), by participants in this activity. The documents are presented in translation with an introduction and notes. They deal with economic history as well as material, social, and spiritual civilization. Besides illuminating the activities of the traders of the Jewish Indian Ocean and their families in the territories from the far East to southern Arabia and Egypt, the letters contain valuable information on Jewish and Islamic culture, relations between Jews and Arabs, Mediterranean culture, and Judeo-Arabic. S.D. Goitein (1900-1985) was the world's preeminent Geniza scholar. His publications include the seminal six-volume A Mediterranean Society Mordechai A. Friedman Ph.D. (1969), University of Pennsylvania, is professor of Geniza Studies at Tel Aviv University. His most recent book is Maimonides, the Yemenite Messiah and Apostasy.