زرياب
زرياب
Ali ibn Nafi, called Ziryab — al-Mahdi's freedman and Ibrahim al-Mawsili's pupil — reached Abd al-Rahman II in AH 206 and the emir rode out himself to meet him; he bequeathed al-Andalus its craft of song, and the poet al-Ghazzal's savage lampoon of him was what sent al-Ghazzal into exile 1.
At a glance
- Era
- The Early Abbasid Caliphate
- Region
- al-Andalus & Europe
- Review
- Draft Completeness 1/5 · Help complete it
Overview
Ali ibn Nafi, known as Ziryab the singer, client of al-Mahdi and pupil of Ibrahim al-Mawsili. He came from Iraq to Abd al-Rahman ibn al-Hakam in the year 206 AH, and the amir rode out in person to receive him and was lavish in honouring him. He stayed with him in good circumstances, and he transmitted the craft of singing to al-Andalus, and his sons inherited his craft and his favour 2.
The satire of al-Ghazzal
al-Maqqari reports that al-Ghazzal wrote a particularly foul satire of Ziryab, which was reported to Abd al-Rahman, who ordered his banishment, and he went back to Iraq 3.
Sources
- Nafh al-Tib min Ghusn al-Andalus al-Ratib — al-Maqqari, p. 380, v.2 p. 262
- Nafh al-Tib min Ghusn al-Andalus al-Ratib — al-Maqqari, p.380
- Nafh al-Tib min Ghusn al-Andalus al-Ratib — al-Maqqari, p.262
Cite this page
islam.museum contributors. “زرياب”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/person/ziryab/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Accessed 2026-10-17.