What do you think?
Rate this book
The Slave Girls of Baghdad: The Qiyan in the Early Abbasid Era
From the refined Geisha of the Imperial Court to the learned hetaerae of Ancient Greece, the captivating history of courtesans and slave girls transcends countless cultural boundaries and fields of academic study. The Slave Girls of Baghdad explores the origins, education and art of the ""qiyan"" -- indentured girls and women who entertained and entranced the caliphs and aristocrats who worked the labyrinths of power within ninth-century Baghdad and throughout the Abbasid Empire. Through a detailed analysis of Islamic law, historical sources and poetry, F. Matthew Caswell examines the qiyans' unique place in Abbasid society and their contested moral standing, providing a comprehensive overview and cultural comparison of an elusive and alluring institution. This fascinating history will be essential reading for all interested in the story of slavery along with the rich world of the Abbasid Empire more widely.
- GenresHistoryNonfiction
304 pages, Hardcover
First published August 30, 2011
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
April 27, 2020
The title of the book is a bit misleading. It is more about the genius of "slave girls" of Baghdad who composed exquisite songs and poems for the Abbasid Court. A very good exposition - although, much of the cadence of Arabic poetry is lost in translation.
October 18, 2015
A good but dry academic work on the slave poetresses of dark ages Baghdad.
Want to read
May 16, 2016Recommended by OLLI instructor, who said that most western depictions of harems say more about what was going on in the West than what was actually happening in harems.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews