Jews, Landlords and Peasants in the Ghaznavid Bamiyan Hinterland: A Private Archive from the Eleventh Century (Bamiyan Papers/Afghan Genizah)

This paper discusses the ‘Bamiyan Papers,’ also known as the ‘Afghan Genizah,’ which probably originated in the Bamiyan region in present-day central Afghanistan. Particular attention is given here to their earliest phase, comprising the private archive of Yehuda ben Daniel, a Jewish landowner residing in early Ghaznavid Bamiyan in the first half of the eleventh century, who plays a central role in this study. The archive documents shed significant light on the interaction between an urban private landowner and the rural population, with specific emphasis on his tenants. By closely examining two texts from the archive, this paper illuminates the complexities inherent in the landowner-peasant relationship and unveils the financial connections that existed between urban landowners and peasants. This research thus contributes to our understanding of Ghaznavid rural history and provides insights into the broader context of the pre-Mongol Iranian world.