Consorts of the Caliphs

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This seventh/thirteenth-century compilation presents anecdotes about thirty-eight women who were consorts to powerful figures, primarily concubines of early Abbasid caliphs and wives of later caliphs and sultans. It is one of the few surviving works by the Baghdadi scholar Ibn al-Sa'i, who documented the academic and political elites of Baghdad during the final years of the Abbasid dynasty and after the devastating Mongol invasion of 656 H/1258 AD. Ibn al-Sa'i aims to connect the generous wives of his era with the famed lovers of Baghdad's golden age. The text features stories from the earlier period, such as Harun al-Rashid's infatuation with his brother's beautiful slave, Ghadir, alongside the talents of musical and literary figures like Arib and Fadl, who excelled beyond their male counterparts. Closer to Ibn al-Sa'i's time, we encounter women like Banafsha, who funded law colleges, constructed bridges, and supported pilgrims to Mecca, as well as slave women whose funeral services were conducted by caliphs and noble Saljuq princesses from Afghanistan. These biographical sketches, enriched by the author's insider knowledge and literary sources, vividly revive the belletristic culture of the Baghdad court, highlighting the personal narratives and poetry of cultural heroines otherwise forgotten by history.