Tuesday, August 11, 2026 · 天火 · tianmu.org
Adab and Maqamat
Classical Arabic adab and maqamat: ornate prose, rhymed narrative, verbal performance, picaresque satire, and literary virtuosity.
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Texts
The Assemblies of al-HaririThe masterpiece of Arabic literary prose — fifty picaresque adventures of Abu Zayd al-Saruji, told in rhymed prose and verse. Translated by Thomas Chenery (1867) and F. Steingass (1898).The Maqamat — al-HamadhaniThe picaresque tales of Abu'l-Fath al-Iskandari, a masterpiece of medieval Arabic literary prose.