R. Abraham ben Mordecai Ankawa, (b. 1810) was born in Sale, Morocco to a family that was probably of Spanish origin, but had settled in Tlemcen (Algeria) and in Sale, where his father, Mordecai, was president of the community for a time. After serving as dayyan in his native town, R. Ankawa traveled to Leghorn about 1838 to arrange the printing of his first works. On his return he journeyed to many towns in Morocco and the Oran district, seeking material for his halakhic works. He was particularly interested in the unpublished researches and rulings of old Castilian and North African rabbis, making extensive use of these and the works of authoritative European writers. His visits were usually short, but he stayed three years in Tlemcen and founded a talmudic academy there. He made a second trip to Leghorn in 1858.

In addition to these responsa the following works by R. Ankawa have been published: Zekhor le-Avraham (Leghorn, 1838), the rules of terefot in verse form, with a commentary based mainly on manuscripts by authoritative Fez writers, and an appendix containing four liturgical poems for the New Year by Spanish poets; Hukkat ha-Pesah (1843), an Arabic paraphrase of memorial verses for seder nights; Kol Tehinnah (1843), prayers for fasts and a few elegies; Hesed le-Avraham or Sha'ar ha-Shamayim (1845), a prayer book for the whole year arranged in accordance with the teachings of Isaac Luria, containing the "Idra Zuta," various mystical prayers, formulas, directions, and explanations: this prayer book was later published in several revised editions and under various titles (Kol Bo, Limmudei ha-Shem, etc.); Homer ha-Dat he-Attik (1844), a summary of Shefa Tal by R. Shabbetai Sheftel Horowitz, printed as an appendix to R. Hayyim Vital's Ozerot Hayyim; Zevahim Shelamim, a double commentary to Maimonides' rules of ritual slaughter, together with the Maggid Mishneh, source references by R. Judah Alkalaz: included in this volume were Get Mekushar and Seder Halizah, on the arrangements for the bill of divorce and for halizah by R. Judah ibn Attar and Jacob ibn Zur; Yuzza la-Rabbim (1858) concerning a dispute betweenR. Ankawa and some Algiers rabbis; Unpublished works of R. Ankawa include: Ozar Hokhmah, an abstract of Hayyim Vital's Ozerot Hayyim; Afra de-Avraham and Millel le-Avraham, homilies; Seivat Avraham, novellae to a few talmudic tractates; and a Hebrew translation of the Arabic paraphrase of the Decalogue, formerly ascribed to Saadiah Gaon.

הסכמות רבני תונס: ר' נתן בורג'ל, ר' אהרן הכהן טנוג'י, ר' אברהם חג'אג', ר' שלום חי בשמוט, ר' אברהם הכהן יצחקי, ר' שמואל צפג', פרשת מטות תרכ"ו; - חלק א ר' יצחק אבולעפייא, שד"ר מרבני וגאוני עיה"ק צפת, מעסכר, [סיון] תר"ך; - חלק א ר' אהרן בן סידון, מוסתגאנים, ח ניסן תרי"ט; - חלק א ר' ישועה אלקאיים, מעסכר, טו אלול תרי"ט; - חלק א ר' יוסף הלוי אבן יולי, מעסכר, פרשת עקב תר"ך. - חלק א

חלק א: שאלות ותשובות אורח חיים, יורה דעה, אבן העזר וחשן המשפט. הלכה למעשה ... עם כמה פסקי דינים היוצאים מן ... גאוני ... פ'אס ... הרבנים ... כמוה"ר יב"ע (יהודה אבן עטר) זיע"א וכמוהר"ר יעב"ץ (יעקב אבן צור) זיע"א ובית דינם. בשנת א'ב'ר'כ'ה' א'ת' ה' [תרכ"ט]. קיא דף. חלק ב: ספר התקנות לחכמי וגאוני המערב ... ואחריו ימשך ס' עט סופר, יורה יורה לכל מושך בקס'ת מה יעשה ישראל ... ושופרי דשטרי ... ועוד בא קצור תקנות לחכמי קאסטיליא ומה שחדשו אחריהם חכמי הדורות שנוהגים בכל ערי המערב. ומחכמי טוליטולא התקנות ... ורביעי בקדש פסקים ושו"ת לגאוני המערב הקדמונים ... ואחרון אחרון חביב שאלות ותשובות אשר טפחתי ורביתי ... אברהם אנקאווא. בשנת ש'ל'ו'ם' ט'ו'ב'ה' ו'ב'ר'כ'ה' [תרל"א]. קח דף.