Wuhsha of Egypt

Wuhsha of Egypt was a successful Jewish banker and moneylender whose life serves as an exceptional example of the extent of power and freedom a Jewish woman could gain in Egypt.

Better known as “al-Wuhsha the Broker”, she was the granddaughter of the head of the Jewish community and daughter of Ammar, a banker in Alexandria. She married to Arye ben Judah, by whom he had a daughter, Sitt-Ghazal, but the couple soon divorced. Later she had a love affairs with Hassun of Ashkelon and gave birth to a son, Abu Sa’d. Although her behavior was regarded scandalous, and she was ostracized from the Babylonian synagogue, her wealth and prominence, however, seem to have neutralized her reputation. She never married again.

Wusha was a successful businesswoman. From the court records can be seen that she invested capital in merchandise from India as well as in caravan goods. As was usual practice among professional businesswoman, she loaned money retaining a security for the duration of the loan.

When she died, she was in possession of a large estate, including property, movable goods, and cash, some of it in gold. Large sums of funds she left in the charitable purposes, to synagogues, the Jewish cemetery, and the poor.