Marriage Contract. According to Karaite Custom

(KETHUBAH)

14th Cheshvan

Al-Cahara (i.e. Cairo)

1654

Hebrew manuscript in North African square Hebrew script. Red and black ink on paper

Similar to other Karaite documents, this Kethubah is composed in Hebrew rather than Aramaic, but contains particularly unusual pre-nuptial conditions: “The Groom must not take another wife for twenty years, however, this condition may be abrogated if the Bride has not conceived after ten years of marriage. The Groom must not leave Egypt and travel elsewhere (especially Damascus) for twenty years, with the sole exception of Jerusalem. The Groom agrees not to strike his wife for ten years. If he does strike her, he must compensate her. He should not divorce her, curse her parents and must allow her to visit her own family members.”