Rylands Genizah
![[Zodiacal signs. Drawings on a Hebrew fragment. Rylands Genizah Image Number JRL050141dc]](/searchresources/imagecollections/university/genizah/imagemax20kb,120499,en.jpg)
In this page:
The Special Collections Division of the John Rylands University Library holds a collection of around 15,000 fragments, mostly written in Hebrew and Judeo-Arabic, from the Genizah of the Ben Ezra Synagogue in Old Cairo, purchased from the estate of Dr Moses Gaster in 1954.
About 90% of the items are on paper, the remainder on parchment. The vast majority are very small fragments. They date from the 10th to the 19th century AD and include religious texts, literary material relating to grammar, philosophy, medicine, astrology and astronomy together with documents such as letters, bills and notebooks etc.
The Rylands Cairo Genizah Project, currently funded for three years by the AHRC (2006 - 2009), aims to make available images and descriptions of all the Rylands Genizah fragments to form an online searchable and browseable catalogue. Rylands Genizah already holds high resolution images of the majority of these fragments (about 87%) with new material to be added in due course.
Using digital images we hope to enable scholars working on Genizah material anywhere in the world to see exactly what is stored in Manchester, discover hitherto unidentified works, and compare the fragments held in Manchester with collections elsewhere, for example Cambridge and The British Library.
In addition to the AHRC, the Rylands Genizah Project has also received funding from Mr Joe Dwek, the Friedberg and Safra Foundations, and the British Academy.
The John Rylands University Library is collaborating with the Institute of Microfilmed Hebrew Manuscripts at The Jewish National and University Library in Jerusalem. The Institute is adding descriptions of a substantial amount of Rylands Genizah fragments to its Aleph database of manuscripts.
We strongly advise all users, but especially the scholarly user, of Rylands Genizah first to consult our extensive Introduction to Rylands Genizah in order to find out:
- What the entire Rylands Genizah collection of about 15,000 fragments exactly consists of,
- Which fragments are presently available online in the form of digital images,
- How to use Rylands Genizah to your best advantage.
We welcome any comments and new input to Rylands Genizah.
How to view
There are two ways to search and view the images. To find out which way suits you best please consult also our Introduction to Rylands Genizah.
Using LUNA
- The new entirely web-based viewer which does not require a plugin or other download
- Best for most collection users
- No username/password required for most University of Manchester collections
- Browse or search for images, bookmark them, share the URL
- Use a web widget to embed images from LUNA in other applications
Using insight JVA client viewer
- Provides some additional functionality for viewing insight collections
- Suitable for advanced users
- The collection is available to everyone but requires a username and password.
Use the username 'uman' and password 'est1824' unless JRUL, your Faculty or School has provided an alternative. - Requires client software to be available on your PC or Mac
Possible access methods for the JVA client viewer
A. Already installed on most public computers in The University of Manchester. From the Start bar double-click 'Luna insight' from the 'Library & Information' group of core programs, enter the username uman password est1824 (unless you have been provided with an alternative) and choose the collection you want to search.
B. Install the client software (versions are available for Windows or Macintosh) on your own computer.
Copyright and obtaining copies
The John Rylands Library [JRL], The University of Manchester, retains the copyright and publication rights for all images in this collection, unless otherwise stated in the data accompanying individual images.
You may use the images for private study without seeking permission. You may also use the images for strictly educational purposes (e.g. in MSPowerPoint presentations or in student handouts) without the need to obtain permission. However, in such cases you must acknowledge JRUL in this way: "Reproduced by courtesy of the University Librarian and Director, The John Rylands Library, The University of Manchester".
For all other uses you must obtain from the JRL if you wish to reproduce images from the collection. Depending on the type of use you may be required to pay a reproduction fee. To apply for permission to reproduce images from our collections please complete and submit a Reproduction rights permission form.
We have attempted to ensure that copyright and intellectual property rights have been cleared for all items in this collection. If you believe you have a claim to rights on one of the images and do not wish it to be published in this way, please contact us .
Prints or high resolution copies of the images are available to on payment of a fee. If you then wish to reproduce the image(s) you must complete and submit the reproduction rights permission form.