Manuscript, Taj – Keter Torah [Five Books of Torah with te'amim]. [Yemen, c. 14th century].
Two small format volumes. Square Yemenite writing, with vowels and te'amim. Margins adorned with the Mesorah text in small letters [the Mesorah text appears at the bottom of the pages styled like a woven carpet].
The first volume contains Bereshit and Shemot and the second, Vayikra, Bamidbar and Devarim. Bound at the beginning of the first part are leaves of the composition "Tijan Notebooks" (in Judeo-Arabic) written at a later time.
At the beginning of Volume 1 is an ancient faded [or erased] inscription of sale or inheritance. The year is written at the end of the inscription: 1434.
The Taj books were usually written in a large format. This is a rare phenomenon of Taj written in a small format.
Two volumes. Volume 1 – Bereshit-Shemot: [15], [149] leaves. ([15] leaves: the Tijan notebooks). Volume 2 – Vayikra-Bamidbar-Devarim: [171] leaves + [4] replacement leaves (beginning with Vayikra Chapter 1, Verse 9 [missing one leaf?], and ending with Devarim 32, 49 [end of V'Zot HaBracha]; the replacement leaves at the end are in a later handwriting). Approximately 12 cm. Varied condition among the leaves, good-fair. Most leaves are in overall good condition. Stains, wear and tear. Worm marks to several places. Many leaf margins are rounded and damaged from many years' use, with damage to Mesorah text. Ancient leather bindings (one is partially detached), with remnants of leather clasps. Worm holes to binding. Housed in a handsome box.