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Power and Poetry

Power and Poetry. HIST 1007 9/27/13. The `Abbasids and Ibn Khaldun’s Four Generational Model. First Generation al- Saffah and al-Mansur: Revolution and consolidation Second Generation al-Mahdi and al- Hadi : Grooming bureaucratic families Third Generation

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Power and Poetry

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  1. Power and Poetry HIST 1007 9/27/13

  2. The `Abbasids and IbnKhaldun’s Four Generational Model • First Generation • al-Saffah and al-Mansur: Revolution and consolidation • Second Generation • al-Mahdi and al-Hadi: Grooming bureaucratic families • Third Generation • Harun al-Rashid: New traditions of hajj and jihad • Fourth Generation • al-Amin and al-Ma’mun: Belief in absolute power, changing succession, moving the capital, mihna (Inquisition) – all of which fail!

  3. Language and Religion • Qur’an and Arabic • Islam and grammar • Sibawayh (760-796): al-Kitab, first grammar of Arabic language • Bedouin and pure Arabic • Pre-Islamic poetry

  4. Pre-Islamic Poetry • Emphasis on eloquence and wording of the verse • Romantic and/or nostalgic prelude • al-waqfa `ala al-atlal: standing by the ruins • Sha’ir: poet/ historian/soothsayer/ eulogist • Rawi: reciter (and embellisher) Antarah b. Shaddad & Abla, common characters in pre-Islamic poetry

  5. Collection and Connoisseurship • Diwan: not just bureaucratic offices • Adab: Literature but also manners • Knowledge of poetry, sign of high class • Poetry over visual arts • Eulogies and patronage

  6. Abu Nuwas (756-814) • Playing with traditional forms • “The Wretch Paused” • Court culture and public image • Wine poetry

  7. Kitab al-aghani (Book of Songs) • Abu al-Faraj al-Isfahani (897-967) • Over 10,000 pages • 100 Best Songs chosen by Harun al-Rashid • Royal composers • al-Isfahani’s favorite songs • Biographies of singers and song writers

  8. Court Patronage • Poets, musicians, singers, dancers seek out court patronage • One good performance could equal a fortune • One bad performance…

  9. Qiyan • Slave girls • Trained in singing and dancing • Important schools near Medina • The best earned royal affection • Huge money • Establishment of households including more singing girls

  10. Language and Religion • Akhbar: News, historical anecdotes • Conditions of revelation • Hadith- > Sira -> Maghazi-> Futuh • Tarikh: History, often written in the style of hadith and sira • Isnad – chain of authority • Collection of oral and written traditions

  11. Abu Ja`far Muhammad b. Jarir al-Tabari (838-923) • Tarikh al-rusulwa al-muluk (History of the Prophets and the Kings) • Universal history from the Creation to 915CE • Salvational history • 40 volumes in translation • Combines prophetic history, Persian history, oral traditions, and contemporary history • Tafsir al-Tabari

  12. Tabaqat • Biographical dictionaries • Biographies of hadith transmitters • Verifying isnad • Dictionaries of poets, musicians, etc. • Some local histories…

  13. Arabic and Translation • Arabic as lingua franca • Legacies of Greco-Roman and Persian traditions • Traditions from beyond the frontiers • Massive translation projects • Combine knowledge of diverse cultures • Imperial dominance

  14. Bayt al-Hikma (House of Wisdom) • Translation school • Founded in Baghdad by al-Ma’mun • Astronomy, mathematics, medicine, philosophy, etc. • Conversation between traditions • New applications and discoveries • Preserves Greek classics

  15. Bayt al-Hikma al-Khwarizmi (ca. 780-850), Kitab al-Jabr (algebra) Hunayn b. Ishaq (809-973), Ten Treatises on the Eye al-Kindi (c. 801-c. 873), polymath (wrote on philosophy, medicine, pharmacology, mathematics, astronomy, astrology, and optics)

  16. Literature • 1,001 Nights • KhalilawaDimna • Tales migrate from India, • Through Iran, and into Islamic • world.

  17. Kitab al-Fihrist • Abu’l-FarajIbn al-Nadim (d. 995 or 998) • “an index of books of all nations” • Every book in Arabic available in Baghdad • Biographies of writers • Modern translation runs over 1,200 pages • Like bureaucracy, paper makes it possible!

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