Iraq: Abû Zayd pleads before the Qadi of Ma'arra. Miniature painting from the 'Maqam' or 'Assembly' of Al-Hariri of Basra, c. 1225-1235. Maqāma (literally 'assemblies') are an (originally) Arabic literary genre of rhymed prose with intervals of poetry in which rhetorical extravagance is conspicuous. The 10th century author Badī' al-Zaman al-Hamadhāni is said to have invented the form, which was extended by al-Hariri of Basra in the next century. Both authors' maqāmāt centre on trickster figures whose wanderings and exploits in speaking to assemblies of the powerful are conveyed by a narrator.

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Size: 4500px × 3838px
Photo credit: © Pictures From History / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

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